Off Limits
by munchkinpandas
Summary: For once in Blaine Anderson's life he was pretty happy with how his life was going. He had an epic college experience with his best friend Jamie. But one PHD rejection letter later & Jamie was moving and Blaine was staying. To top everything off Jamie asked Blaine to look after his little brother Kurt who was starting his freshman year of college. And Blaine Anderson was screwed.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

"And suddenly you know…It's time to start something new and trust the magic of beginnings"

Blaine dropped his car keys on the table and told Jamie he'd be right back with their coffees after a quick detour to the bathroom. He laughed when Jamie asked if he wanted company and felt an ache in his heart at the thought of not having his best friend of six years with him anymore. It was such a cruel thing. You get used to something or someone so easily and everything is just perfect when they're in your life, making you believe that you are safe because they'll always be there and you'll always have a happy place no matter how much shit you're dealing with in your life. But then some more shit happens and you see you won't have that happy place anymore and it just simply sucks.

Blaine met Jamie in his first year at ASU, both excited to finally be in college but pretending to keep their cool so they wouldn't be labelled as losers from the first day. They were in Introduction to Journalism class and it was Blaine who reached out and asked Jamie if it would help if they would picture the whole class in their under wear and the moment he saw Jamie was actually considering it, Blaine knew he found his best bro. They found their ways together, made the same mistakes, shared the same awful dorm first then a house, laughed at the same things and wanted the same things from life. Maybe that was where they went wrong. Just because they wanted the same things didn't mean they would both be granted them. Blaine ended up being the lucky one, got accepted into ASU's Journalism and Mass Communication PHD program and now had to say goodbye to his brother from another mother because he was going to, had to, to be more precise, make his dreams come true somewhere else.

Blaine hated change. He was perfectly happy with the way his life was beginning to take shape and he always thought he'd do everything with Jamie on his side. But now they were in a coffee shop in the airport, waiting for Jamie's little brother's and Blaine's soon-to-be new roommate's plane to land and Blaine had no idea what was awaiting him. Sure he loved Jamie maybe even more than he would have loved his own brother if he had one and he knew no one could ever replace him, especially not some annoying freshman who he had to tolerate because of Jamie.

He turned to their table with two iced Americanos in hand, ruffling Jamie's hair before he sat down. He followed Jamie's gaze and smirked when he saw the strawberry blonde biting her lip while looking at Jamie through her eyelashes.

"Stop with the bedroom eyes, asshole, you don't even have time for a bathroom quickie."

Jamie hit Blaine on the shoulder and tried to push him the other direction so he could focus his attention back on the hot blond behind him, but Blaine wasn't moving so he begrudgingly took the coffee and took a long drink.

"Asshole. There is always time for blondes."

He shrugged when Blaine rolled his eyes and looked back towards the gate where his brother should be landing shortly.

"But Kurt would be pissed if I was off seducing a girl when he got here, especially since I made him come a week early so I could see him before I left. So I will forgive you this time for being a cock block."

Blaine let out a deep sigh and kicked Jamie's foot under the table.

"I still can't believe you're going to leave me alone with a fucking teenager."

"Trust me dude, Kurt is more mature then both of us combined. He's been through a lot of shit, so play nice."

Jamie scoffed at Blaine's scowl and shook his head.

"Well... at the very least try not to kill him."

Blaine shrugged and looked away from Jamie's searching eyes, playing with the lid of his cup.

"Yeah I should if I don't want my ass get kicked."

He bit his lips into a smile when Jamie grabbed the cup from his hand to make him look at him.

"Seriously dude, don't worry. I babysat my cousin in high school, it couldn't be harder than that."

Jamie rolled his eyes, smirking slightly. Blaine had no idea what he was in for when it came to Kurt. Kurt wasn't the type of guy who wanted or needed a babysitter, what he needed was someone to have his back, even though he wouldn't admit it. Jamie kind of wished he was going to be around to witness Kurt and Blaine cohabiting together.

"I'm not worried. I trust you more than anyone, so as annoying as my little brother can be, I know you will have his back like you have mine."

Blaine held Jamie's gaze for a while, wanting to make sure he knew Blaine would do absolutely anything not to let Jamie down. Jamie didn't put it into words exactly but Blaine knew just how disappointed he was with himself for not being there for Kurt during his high school years, and now for leaving for San Diego when he was the reason Kurt applied to ASU in the first place.

Blaine reached out and grabbed Jamie's hand on the table, his lips turning upwards as he remembered the first time he did that and Jamie interlocked their fingers not forgetting to add a "no homo" afterwards.

"I just feel sorry for you because with me as his substitute big brother, he won't think that highly of you anymore."

Jamie checked his watch noting that Kurt's plane was probably landing soon and tried to hide his excitement to maintain his cool guy attitude. He felt guilty about not making it back to Chicago more often, holidays being his only exception. Kurt never made him feel bad about it but they were pretty much all each other had before Jamie left for school and while Jamie was having the time of his life with Blaine, Kurt was living his own personal hell most of the time. But he was also beyond excited for Kurt to start college, have the amazing experiences he had and if one person could show him the way, it would be Blaine.

Jamie nudged Blaine with his foot.

"Everyone knows I was the cool one out of this bromance. Anyways c'mon asshole, he's almost here, let's go over to the waiting area so he can find us."

Blaine threw their already drained coffee cups into the nearest trash bin and followed Jamie to the waiting area, leaning against the wall next to him when they came to the waiting area. He nudged Jamie's shoulder with his after shooting a quick text to Sebastian who wanted to learn when Jamie was leaving.

"I'm gonna miss you, man."

Jamie smiled a heartfelt smile at Blaine.

"I'll miss you too bro."

Jamie's attention was taken off Blaine as he searched the crowd of people that were exiting security, looking for Kurt. He spotted him lugging a backpack that looked way too heavy for his slender frame, and staring judgmentally at the lady in front of him walking way too slowly.

Jamie waved energetically to get Kurt's attention and nudged Blaine with his shoulder.

"There he is."

Blaine looked at the way Jamie was waving his hand enthusiastically and at first he mistook Kurt for the boy in bright red Adidas sweatpants but then another boy who just passed by the security line waved back their way and Blaine just got rooted to his spot with probably a dumbfounded look on his face. Jamie had mentioned his little brother so many times yet Blaine had never seen a picture of Kurt. Well, this Kurt. The only picture Jamie had of his family was a 15 year old, beach photo in which a ten year old Jamie standing between his parents with a cheeky grin on his face and carrying a toddler in his arms. Well, Blaine had never once thought that toddler would grow up and turn out to be someone like that. It was weird because the way they always mentioned Kurt as the little brother, Blaine always had imagined someone still sporting acne all over his face, trying to fit in his pre puberty clothes, with some greasy hair sticking to everywhere but he should have known better. Jamie was like an Abercrombie & Fitch model, nothing less, fresh out of high school and obviously good genes were running in the family. The way Kurt was carrying his tall and slender frame was very noticeable to say the least, his eyes were glasz, from that distance Blaine couldn't decide if they were blue, gray or green and his arms were looking very pale yet muscled underneath his Fuck You You Fucking Fuck t-shirt. Oh, he was a feisty one. Obviously all Hummels were.

Blaine watched Jamie walk up to Kurt and wrap him in a tight hug, Kurt's bag already forgotten on the floor. He could see the resemblance in both brothers now; big, blue, calculating eyes with chestnut colored wavy hair naturally tousled at the top. While Kurt was a little taller than Jamie, Jamie was a little broader yet gorgeous was the only word that could be used if Blaine were to describe them with one word.

The moment Kurt saw Jamie it was like tension he didn't realize he was holding was released. Jamie was home for Kurt, ever since their mom had died and their dad went off the deep end, he was the only stable thing in Kurt's life and it felt so good to finally be reunited with him, even if it was just a week. When Kurt found out that Jamie didn't get into ASU for his PHD program, he almost stayed behind and followed his boyfriend to the University of Chicago instead but he ultimately decided, with Jamie's instance, that he needed a change of scenery. And Kurt was actually excited to finally be able to take control and start a whole new chapter in his life.

Kurt looked over Jamie's shoulder and saw Jamie's best friend and Kurt's new roommate Blaine. At that moment he was glad he was a master in Facebook stalking so he was sort of prepared for Blaine's gorgeous curls and his cocky smile, but still, pictures couldn't do him justice. Kurt would have to make a conscious effort not to stare into those eyes, it actually may take that long to determine exactly what color they were.

After Jamie had sufficiently wrinkled his shirt he pulled back and pushed him away before he had a chance to mess up his hair and turned to Blaine.

"Well well, you must be the one who corrupted my Jamie. Blaine I take it?"

Blaine didn't realize Kurt's words were directed at him until a dismissive "Blaine" escaped his lips. Blaine raised an eyebrow and took a step closer to Kurt so Jamie's body wasn't hiding Blaine's anymore. For some reason, Blaine had expected Kurt to be shy yet there was nothing shy about the way Kurt was looking at him, shaking Blaine's hand like he was measuring him, his stance so laid back it was like meeting Blaine, his new roommate, was no big deal.

Blaine took a firm hold of Kurt's hand to shake and let go when their eyes met, his polite smile into a smirk at the challenge he saw in Kurt's eyes.

"Correct. And you must be the little brother I'm supposed to protect from the big, bad wolves out there. Pleasure."

Kurt crossed his arms at the way Blaine looked at him, like he was a small fragile child. Still, it was better how most older people looked at him when they found out his story; usually all he got we're looks of sympathy, but he didn't need their sympathy nor was he a child that needed protecting. Not anymore.

When Jamie was back home, the worst he would get was uninventive name calling. Jamie had a rep and no one wanted to mess with that. But once he left, it was a whole new world and suddenly the name calling turned to getting pushed into lockers or worse. But Kurt made it through, barely, without someone there. Kurt winced when his hand pressed against the two day old bruise on his side, a goodbye kick from his worst tormentor Karofsky. He was just glad it wasn't his face. Kurt looked at Blaine sternly, but slightly avoiding his eyes because come on, there were flecks of gold in them too.

"I don't need protecting, I just need a roommate. Now, I have a lot of bags so hopefully all that gym time with my brother has paid off."

Blaine, though impressed at being bossed around by Jamie's little brother right away, couldn't help the scowl that formed on his face. He hit Jamie's chest when he stuck his tongue out and threw his shoulder around Kurt, leaving Blaine to pick up the backpack from the floor. He followed them over to baggage claim with Kurt's heavy as fuck backpack on his back, waiting for Kurt's god know how many more bags to arrive.

"Now Kurt, I don't know what kind of manners they've been teaching you there but here we say please and thank you."

He returned Kurt's eye roll with an unimpressed look and turned to Jamie.

"Bas wants to know when you want to have your surprise going away party."

Jamie smirked at Blaine's words and patted Kurt's head when he gave Blaine a dumbfounded look before slapping his hand away.

"Please tell me you are supervising Bas, because if he planned it, the party would be full of just dick and awful tasting beer."

"You know I have no problem with just dick and some poor tasting beer."

He winked at Jamie when he kicked his foot and smiled a secret smile.

"Don't you worry, brother. When have I ever disappointed you?"

He pressed his two fingers together and brought them closer to his lips before blowing against Jamie's face.

"It's gonna blow your mind."

Kurt let Jamie and Blaine make plans for an ice luge and beer pong while he dragged his three bags from baggage claim. He dropped the heaviest one at Blaine's feet with a smirk to get his attention.

"Can we please move this riveting conversation about dicks and beer to the car?"

He looked at Jamie with a questioning smile.

"I was promised In and Out upon my arrival and Jamie never breaks a promise."

Blaine pushed Kurt's bag back with his feet and crossed his arms over his chest, clearing his throat as he looked daggers in Kurt's direction.

"Didn't you forget something Kurt?"

Kurt was prepared with another witty retort but one big brother stern look from Jamie and Kurt kept his mouth shut giving Blaine a fake smile and picked up his bag before following the two older boys out to the car.

Blaine automatically got into the passenger seat without so much as a head tilt in question to see if Kurt wanted to sit next to Jamie. While Kurt was a little annoyed by Blaine, he did enjoy sitting in the back listening to them reminisce about their college days and even if Blaine seemed like kind of an asshole, he was glad his brother had found someone to encourage him to have fun and not worry so much. It also got Kurt excited for the experiences he would surely have for the next four years.

Kurt leaned in the middle of the two front seats.

"So am I invited to this party of the century?"

Blaine turned his head to his side only to be met with Kurt's expectant eyes. He gave Kurt a deliberate once over and shrugged, biting his lip to keep himself from smirking.

"I don't know... There'll be lots of booze, and probably some weed. How old were you again?"

Kurt bit his lip, Blaine didn't strike him as the type that would care about underage drinking and debauchery and judging by the stories he had heard from Jamie he most likely partook when he was Kurt's age but Kurt didn't know Blaine enough to know if he was joking or not.

"I'm 18, but I have drank before, several times actually. Plus it's my brothers going away party."

"Jesus, that was precious."

Blaine let out a loud chuckle which turned into an honest to god laugh once he saw the glare Kurt was throwing his way.

"Did you hear that, Jamie boo? Your baby brother is quite the rebel. Good job buddy. That's what I call good influence."

He turned to face Kurt and pretended to consider what he said for while, loving the way Kurt looked back at him daringly. Oh Blaine was going to have so much fun riling that little boy up.

"You're gonna help with the preparations. It's your brother's party after all."

Kurt gave Blaine an annoyed look and leaned back against the seat, kicking the drivers seat when he heard Jamie snickering to himself.

"Shut up J, you are the one leaving me, I should be the one getting the party."

Kurt could sense the mood change when Jamie suddenly went silent, his intent wasn't to make Jamie feel guilty just bad enough to get him to stop encouraging Blaine with his laughter. So he reached over the drivers seat and massaged his brothers shoulders.

"But because I will miss you so damn much, I will make sure these guys don't screw it up."

Kurt winked at Blaine when he turned around with a pissed off look. God it was going to be fun to mess with this guy.

Blaine ignored Kurt for the rest of the way and turned the volume up when Fall Out Boy's Centuries came on the radio, singing along quietly, unable to wipe the small smile away from his face when he heard Kurt's voice join him. At least the little shit knew about good music.

Blaine groaned when they pulled into their driveway because there was a white BMW right next to Blaine's Harley which meant they would need to deal with Sebastian. He shrugged at Jamie's questioning look and got out of the car, taking a bag from the back before making his way to their place.

"You are late."

Blaine didn't even look up, just placed the bag on the floor and unlocked the door, Sebastian already following him inside with Kurt's bag in hand.

"And you are uninvited."

Sebastian rolled his eyes and dropped the bag to the floor to go get himself a beer from the fridge.

"Make yourself at home, why don't you?"

Blaine took the shirt he put on before they went to the airport off, leaving himself only in his undershirt and let out a sigh of content when Sebastian started the AC with the remote.

"Where is the kid?"

Sebastian teasing smile froze on his face when his eyes followed Blaine's gaze and took in the boy that walked inside after Jamie, raising an eyebrow at Bas as if to say what. Sebastian turned to face Blaine, his mouth still open.

"What the fuck man? Why is it always you ending up with hot as fuck roommates?"

Jamie dropped the bag he was holding on the floor with a loud thud and walked right up to Sebastian, crowding his space.

"That's my fucking brother douche bag! He is off limits. And I know you have trouble thinking when your dick is involved so let me spell it out for you. Kurt is too young for you, too smart for you and way out of your league. So no Bas."

Jamie held an ominous gaze at Sebastian until he backed down and held up his hands in defeat.

"Okay man, fuck I get it."

Kurt appreciated his brothers concern, even if it was unnecessary. The truth was he kind of missed his big brother protector. He always felt safe with Jamie. But Kurt could feel the unneeded tension in the air so he stepped between Bas and Jamie to pick up his bag.

"Or you could have just said I had a boyfriend back home so I wasn't interested."

Kurt caught Blaine's eye roll over Sebastian's shoulder but chose to ignore it.

"So where's my room? Judging by the living room, I may need to give it a deep clean before it's livable."

Blaine grabbed Kurt's other bags from the floor and gestured Kurt to follow him, shaking his head no when Jamie moved to trail behind them. He pointed at Sebastian who sank to the couch and playing with his phone with a seemingly nonchalant expression on his face but they both knew they were two of the few people who had the power to hurt Bas with their words. So Blaine left them alone for the kiss and make up session and walked up to Jamie's old room with Kurt trailing behind. He opened the door and left the bags by Jamie's, now Kurt's, queen sized bed before turning around to face him.

"My room is next to yours so no loud music or sex when I'm working on my paper. We have a Jack and Jill bathroom so try not use up all the hot water in the mornings. Any questions?"

Kurt took in his surroundings. It was a decent sized room and Jamie had kept it fairly clean. He was happy to see that Jamie was using the 500 count sheets he had gotten him for Christmas and smiled fondly at the picture of their family, the last time they were actually a whole family, at the beach sitting on his desk. He would of course have to take down the posters of the half-naked girls and add a bookshelf or two.

Jamie didn't tell Kurt about having to share a bathroom with Blaine and he was less than thrilled about it. He scoffed at Blaine's "rules" and walked into the room dropping his backpack on the bed.

"My boyfriend is in Chicago so you don't have to worry about the sex and I have Beats so you won't hear my music. But while we're on rules, same goes for you and oh absolutely no sex in the shower since we have to share it."

Blaine's lips turned upwards at the mention of said boyfriend and he couldn't help but roll his eyes when Kurt implied he wouldn't be having sex because he had a boyfriend in Chicago. How naive. Fucking freshmen and their high school sweethearts. Kurt needed to do a lot of growing up and Blaine couldn't wait to tease him about his first walk of shame.

He leant back against the wall next to Jamie's desk and wiped the sweat off of his chest with his undershirt, a teasing smirk playing around his lips.

"Well, you see, kid, I'm a spontaneous kind of guy so I don't plan when or where I'll have sex in advance. With that being said, I'm a big fan of shower sex so I don't think I can abide by your rule. But don't worry, mama taught me to clean after myself."

Kurt already hated the fact that Blaine called him kid, it made him feel younger than he already did around a house full of grad students. But for Kurt the dorms weren't an option. He spent 4 years in high school surrounded by small minded people he hated, he didn't need to follow that up with another years of the same except now with no adult supervision. Even if he wanted to, Jamie would have never let him.

So he was stuck with Blaine. So far he pretty much just annoyed Kurt, but on the upside he was pretty to look at. But he was mistaking if he thought he could just order him around the whole time. Not even Jamie could get away with that.

"Fantastic. Well, at least lock the door and turn on some music if the mood strikes you to fuck someone in our shower. I don't need to hear that."

Blaine liked that Kurt wasn't holding anything back, giving as good as he got, and though he knew it was going to be annoying in the long run, for now he was just enjoying the novelty of it. He chuckled lightly and pulled back from the wall he was leaning back against. Just when he was passing by Kurt, he stopped and gave Kurt a once over and shrugged.

"Your loss, kid." Blaine whispered into the air between their faces, his voice teasing yet low.

"A lot of people would pay to hear that."

Kurt didn't realize he was holding his breath when Blaine passed, but he let out a heavy breath when he walked out without letting Kurt respond. He wasn't used to people crowding his space like it was no big deal like that. Kurt shrugged as he unpacked some of his clothes. It would just be another thing to add to the list of things he would have to get used to living with Blaine, right under "has sex wherever he wants." He had a feeling this was going to be a long list.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"There are times in your lie when, despite the steel weight of your memories and the sadness that seems to lie at your feet like a shadow, you suddenly and strangely feel perfectly okay."

The week with Jamie had flown by. On Monday he had taken Kurt on his own personal guided tour of the campus that would be his home for the next four years. Kurt fell in love the second he walked down the main thorough fare lined with palm trees making it feel more like a 5 star resort than a college. He didn't even mind the heat that everyone from Chicago, meaning Mercedes and Rachel, warned him about. It beat cold and snowy any day. Plus Kurt wasn't going to complain at all the guys walking around with their shirts off, he just had to leave that part out when he described the campus to his boyfriend, Adam. He also understood why his brother almost flunked out his freshman year when during the whole tour he insisted on pointing out all the places he hooked up with girls over the years. On Wednesday, Jamie made sure Kurt had all his books and everything else he would need for his first day of school and even took Kurt out shopping for a new outfit to wear on his first day, something their mom always did before the accident. The rest of the week was full of going to Jamie's favorite restaurants and bars, which Kurt could actually go to because Jamie's belated graduation gift to Kurt was his old id, so now if anyone asked he was a 24 year old version of Jamie. The week with Jamie was basically perfect except Blaine tagged along pretty much everywhere they went. Kurt would have said something but he knew how hard it was to say goodbye to Jamie so he got why Blaine was always around. But if Blaine referred to him as "kid" one more time, Kurt wasn't going to be able to restrain the bitch inside him any longer.

Now it was Saturday night and the party at Jamie's, now his, house was in full swing. Kurt hadn't left his room yet, trying to get his hair and outfit perfect was turning out to be harder than it was in Chicago. But that was probably because his typical Saturday night would be a movie and dinner with Adam, not a crazy college party. Kurt finally decided on his favorite Ted Baker striped shirt and a pair of fitted skinny jeans and after the second couple barged into his room looking for a place to do God knows what, Kurt decided it was time to venture out to his first college party.

Blaine came back with two glasses of rum and coke, handing one to Ely, a post graduate Engineering student who claimed to be straight yet had never once complained whenever Blaine danced a little too close to him at parties or just blushed and looked away when Blaine blatantly checked him out at every opportunity. Blaine loved a good challenge and from the way Ely was crowding his space while they were talking it seemed Blaine wasn't going to wait for long. He didn't expect a mind blowing fuck but the newbies were always enthusiastic and that was one of the things that got Blaine going in bed so why not.

He was busy listening to whatever sweet nothings Ely- and what kind of a straight guy was called Ely anyway- was whispering in his ear when he saw Kurt accepting a drink from Sebastian of all people. His eyes searched for Jamie but then he remembered how he disappeared to Blaine's room with some girl he'd been on and off all through his college years and let out a groan. He did not have time for this. If Sebastian wanted to be the cool big bro, which Blaine was sure was the last thing he wanted to be to Kurt, then he would need to take the responsibility of a potentially drunk out of his mind freshman and the hangover it would follow the following day.

Kurt had been leaning against the wall in the kitchen trying to understand the rules of beer pong when Sebastian found him and offered him a shot and after checking around for his big protective brother, he accepted the drink quickly, trying to make it seem like he took shots all the time. Except Kurt didn't realized tequila burns when you don't swallow immediately and he about choked to death after he took it. Luckily Blaine wasn't around to see Kurt fail miserably because if he had, he no doubt wouldn't let it go and Kurt would have no hope in shedding the kid image. But Sebastian just laughed, rubbing Kurt's back a little longer than was needed and offered him another shot, which went much better than the first and Kurt started to feel warm all over. Just as Sebastian was leading Kurt out to the backyard to introduce him to the wonders of the ice louge he felt a tight grip on his wrist, only to turn around to find Blaine giving Bas a strict warning look.

"Let go Blaine! I want to go take more shots with Sebastian… cold ones this time."

Blaine tightened his grip around Kurt's wrist and pulled him back to his body, getting him out of the way between Sebastian and himself, ignoring what he'd been telling Blaine because Sebastian and shots together were way too dangerous for Kurt's first college party.

He raised an eyebrow at Sebastian, unimpressed when he rolled his eyes and shook his head.

"Don't push it, Bas. Go find yourself another boy toy."

After Sebastian shrugged and walked away with a half-smile, Kurt ripped his wrist out of Blaine's tight grip stumbling just slightly from the force he had to use to pull to free himself.

"What the hell Blaine?! I was just trying to have fun. So stop being a buzzkill and let me."

Blaine took the half empty glass from Kurt and let out a tired sigh, already annoyed he had to deal with that while Ely was there waiting to be seduced by Blaine and his magical hands, among other things.

"Do it with someone else. Didn't Jamie introduce you to Quinn the other day? Go say hello."

He drowned the rest of the tequila in Kurt's glass and looked back in his eyes seriously.

"Just stay away from Bas, okay?"

Kurt sighed deeply.

"Whatever."

Kurt walked past Blaine intentionally bumping him with his shoulder and walked towards the house. He grabbed a Jell-O shot from some random guy and turned around to see if Blaine was watching, which of course he was, so he held it up towards Blaine with a cocky smile before downing it and walking into the house.

Blaine rolled his eyes in a way that started to feel like second nature ever since he had Kurt in his life and followed him inside the house, shaking his head when he saw him draining yet another shot glass. Blaine cursed under his breath. That stupid boy was going to give himself alcohol poisoning. At least he was with Quinn's friends and apart from the guy with a mohawk, they seemed pretty harmless.

He was so engrossed with his babysitting duty he didn't even notice Ely was standing next to him until he handed him a plastic, red cup, brushing his fingers against Blaine's in a way that was in no way platonic. He bit his lip into a smile and turned to face his conquest of the night, enjoying the way Ely's eyes dropping to his lips every time Blaine took a sip of his cup.

Kurt wouldn't tell Blaine that his suggestion to go find Quinn was a good one but he was glad he did because she introduced him to Noah her cousin who was going to be a freshman too. At first Kurt was apprehensive because Noah was the type of guy who would have beat him up in high school but Noah wasn't like that and they immediately hit it off and after 2 more shots they were already best friends.

Kurt stumbled with Noah back outside where they found a group of kids smoking weed and they watched from outside the circle getting a contact high talking each other into joining since neither of them had ever tried it before.

Blaine obliged quickly when Ely offered to get some fresh air since it'd been a long time since he last saw Kurt and with Jamie still camping in his room-and why Blaine's room for fuck's sake- Blaine was feeling pretty edgy, despite the fact that Ely was getting handsy the more he drank. He found Kurt and the mohawk guy outside the house, lingering around Sebastian's friends that played at his uncle's bar every Friday night, the curious look on their faces both amused and terrified Blaine. It wouldn't take a genius to get what they were up to and Blaine would have so grounded Kurt for screwing up his night with Ely royally if he could.

He dragged his hand down Ely's side, a seemingly innocent brush of hand against his waist and excused himself for a moment. He nodded at the guys when he caught their eyes and pointed at Kurt, winking at him when he saw the glare Kurt was aiming at his way.

"So guys, this is Kurt, Jamie's *little* brother."

He made sure they got what he was implying, emphasizing the word little while eyeing the joints in their hands before giving Kurt a big smile and going back to where he left Ely. If he enjoyed the scowl that formed on Kurt's face more than maybe he should have, well, no one had to know about it, right?

Kurt pulled Noah from the group, now that Blaine introduced him there was no way they were getting offered to smoke and now words like "cute" and "baby" were being thrown around so Kurt definitely didn't want to stick around. He was too busy giving Blaine his best bitch stare while he put the moves on a guy with horrible fashion sense to notice Noah leave and come back with two solo cups full of beer.

"Who was that guy? Do you have two brothers?"

Kurt rolled his eyes and shook his head adamantly spilling part of his drink.

"Noooo He is *not* my brother he is his friend who is a big party pooper."

Noah scoffed and watched as Kurt continued to shoot Blaine brooding looks.

"An older man huh? You should totally tap that, maybe he wouldn't be so grumpy."

Kurt was about to tell Noah just how wrong that statement was when he was gone following a couple girls who were chanting for body shots inside. As Kurt watched Noah chase after the girls the ground started to spin and suddenly Kurt got very dizzy. He tried to grab on to something before realizing he was outside so he decided to sit down instead making sure to hold his cup with both hands so not to spill. He tried to warn people who passed him on their way to the keg about the spinning ground but pretty much everyone ignored him so he decided to take out his phone and text his boyfriend.

To Adam: Heeeey Cutie!

To Kurt: Kurt. It's 2am here are you drunk?

To Adam: Mayybe. Yes. But Tequila!

To Kurt: Is your brother there? Are you by yourself?

To Adam: He's having sexy times. I met a friend! Noah is super nice and funny and he got me beeeeer.

To Kurt: Oh that's great that you are meeting guys while you are wasted. Anyone else I should know about?

To Adam: Blaine? He won't let me have any fun :( :( but he is like super strong when he grabbed my hand

To Kurt: Seriously Kurt? You are texting me about two guys? What else aren't you telling me?

To Adam: Stop being a mean head! I'm not doing anything wrong.

To Kurt: I beg to differ Kurt. I thought the guy I was dating was more responsible than this. I guess that's what happens when you go to a party school.

Blaine smirked when Ely didn't protest when he slid his hand into his back pocket, in a way checking the goods before taking him to somewhere less crowded and was about to whisper in his ear to ask Ely to come with him when his eyes caught Kurt's slender figure on the ground, pouting at his phone while nursing a solo cup recklessly. He didn't seem to be aware of the people around him, tackling over him to go their way or spilling their drinks over him while playing around.

Blaine closed his eyes and took a deep breath, already hating himself for what he was about to do. He pulled back from Ely's warm body, shrugging at the questioning look Ely gave him in return.

"Shit sorry, I need to deal with some stuff now but look umm.. "

He reached for Ely's phone and grabbed it from his pocket, saving his number in his contact before handing him back his phone. He leant in slightly, just enough for his lips to hover over Ely's.

"Call me."

First thing he did when he knelt down in front of Kurt was to take the plastic cup from his hand and toss it across their deck. Kurt was still looking at him like he wanted to bury him alive but at least he wasn't protesting much because honestly Blaine wasn't sure if he had it in him to be more patient. Next he grabbed his phone which was lit with a new text notification sent 5 minutes ago. Blaine couldn't help but scoff when he read the text which wasn't really his intention at all, it was kind of out there, and made a mental note to deal with it later, hopefully after he managed to take Kurt to his room successfully.

He pocketed Kurt's phone and grabbed both his hands to pull him up to his feet, securing an arm around his waist when he started to sway around.

"Jesus, kid, just hold on to me, okay?"

Kurt tightened his grip around Blaine's waist to try to steady himself and closed his eyes for a second to make the world stop spinning. When he opened them there was Blaine looking at him through these long gorgeous eyelashes that Kurt swore he didn't have yesterday.

"I'm not a kid Blaaaaine, I'm an adult!"

Kurt squeezed Blaine's side tighter.

"I can feel your muscles through your shirt they're nice."

Blaine bit back a smirk at Kurt's words and raised his eyebrows nearly to his hairline when Kurt dragged his fingers up and down his side.

"Sure you are kid, sure you are."

He wrapped an arm around Kurt's body and pushed him through the party crowd, pulling him back against his chest when he swayed forward, about fell down on his ass at the stairs.

Blaine gave Kurt a stern look and let out a long, exasperated sigh before picking him up and throwing him over his shoulder.

"I'm going give you so much shit for this you have no idea."

He faltered at the top stairs when he felt something tingly on his hair.

"What the fuck are .. Are you fucking smelling my hair?"

"You smell pretty."

Kurt giggled as he bounced up and down on Blaine's shoulder and ran his fingers through Blaine's curls.

"It feels pretty too."

Blaine bit down on his lower lip and tightened his grip around Kurt's legs, trying his best to ignore the warm tingling in his chest at the way Kurt was carding his fingers through his hair. He opened the door to Kurt's room with his free hand and his half-smile turned into a scowl when he saw Bas sucking faces with some guy Blaine had never seen before and ushered them out. He closed the door with his foot behind them and laid Kurt down on his bed. He took one last look at Kurt who was looking back at him with a giddy smile on his face and decided to just leave him like that. It would serve him right for, no matter how unknowingly, cockblocking Blaine in a true Hummel fashion. Except Kurt's giddy smile turned into a pleased one, his gaze softened which was making him look even younger than he was and so much more innocent, Blaine just felt the sudden urge to wrap him in cotton blankets and shield him from any trouble the world may have caused him.

Jesus fucking Christ. Fucking alcohol would turn only him into a softie. He stepped forward from where he'd been standing stoically and sat down next to Kurt's legs on the bed. He freed Kurt from his loafers and dropped them on the floor, ignoring the way Kurt was staring at him in his peripheral vision.

Kurt leaned his head on Blaine's shoulder finding it very comforting while Blaine was freeing him from his uncomfortable shoes. He looked up at Blaine with a half-smile on his face which turned into a full smile when Blaine returned it with what seemed like a genuine smile.

"See you can be nice. Where's my phone I want to tell Adam, he wasn't very nice when I told him about you at first."

Blaine moved to unbuckle Kurt's belt and smiled at the content sound that escaped his lips, ignoring Kurt's question as he laid the thin bedspread over his body.

"Go to sleep, Kurt."

Kurt looked up at Blaine through innocent eyes before pulling him back down to the bed in a clumsy hug.

"Thanks Blaine."

Even at the awkward position, Blaine seemed to fall into Kurt's arms and right at that moment Kurt wished he could stay there until he fell asleep. As he hugged Blaine longer enjoying the warmth, he whispered drunkenly in his ear.

"That guy you were talking to had horrible clothes; you can do better than that."

Blaine shook his head, trying hard to stifle laughter and pulled back so he could ease himself from the bed.

"Lucky for me I wasn't interested in his clothes."

He winked at Kurt when he looked up at him with confused eyes and switched the light off.

"Quite the opposite actually."

He chuckled at Kurt's understanding "oh" and took Kurt's phone from his pocket, the scowl returning to his face as he reread the text.

To Adam: Nobody likes bitches. Don't be one. At least not to your fucking boyfriend.  
>Btw you're right, ASU is too cool for losers like you.<p>

***

Kurt felt like he was going to die. His head was pounding so hard that he initially thought Blaine was blasting his bass in the next room. His mouth was so dry that he thought if his legs would actually work, he would have gotten a drink from the unfiltered tap in his bathroom. His stomach seemed to think it was starving but just the thought of food made Kurt gag. Kurt tried to cover his face with a pillow to stop the morning, for all he knew afternoon, light from shining through but the laughter coming from the kitchen ensured that he wouldn't be able to go back and sleep away his life.

Kurt knocked everything off his nightstand blindly grabbing for his phone only to notice that it was all the way across the room on top of the dresser. With a loud grown and unsteady steps, he made his way across the room to retrieve his phone to find a couple text notifications from Adam. He cursed under his breath when he vaguely remembered texting him last night after drinking the entire world. He opened up the text convo and read through squinted eyes and noticed that someone else had replied back to Adam's last pissy message and sure as hell wasn't Kurt. It took Kurt two seconds to realize it was Blaine, after remembering him take his phone away when he was dragging him from the party. Kurt knew Adam wouldn't approve of how drunk he got last night, mostly because Adam wasn't really the partying type and Kurt always just went along with what Adam did but his last text to Kurt before Blaine got involved was kind of rude. Kurt was just having fun and to imply that he was just getting drunk and meeting guys was uncalled for which was why he felt a sense of gratitude to Blaine at first for telling him to stop being a bitch because Kurt could never do that. But the messages in response to Blaine's not friendly text were even worse and Kurt was dreading the phone conversation with Adam in order to fix it. The more Kurt thought about it the madder he got thinking that maybe Blaine knew exactly what he was doing and wanted to fuck up Kurt's life for sport instead. Kurt clutched his phone in his hand and stormed out to the kitchen where Blaine and Jamie were talking way too loud following a night of heavy drinking. Kurt walked right up to Blaine and held the phone in his face.

"What the fuck Blaine? Who gave you the right to go through *my* phone and text *my* boyfriend?"

Blaine's hand that was about bring the coffee cup to his lips froze halfway and he couldn't help but flinch slightly at the way Kurt forced his way into his space and pushed his phone into his face. He exhaled loudly and set his mug down on the table before grabbing Kurt's wrist and bringing it down. He looked back at Kurt's face, so clearly furious, and shook his head, not able to decide which Kurt was more annoying; drunk or childishly angry.

"Tell your boyfriend to keep his stupid thoughts to himself then. And while you're at it, remind him he is to show respect to his boyfriend as he seemed to forget that last night."

Jamie looked up from his coffee and listened to the exchange between Kurt and Blaine trying to piece together something he obviously missed while they had a heated conversation. When Blaine made the comment about Kurt's boyfriend he let out a sound of agreement from behind his coffee cup which was a mistake because Kurt's icy blue eyes were now staring in his general direction. It wasn't that Jamie didn't like Adam, he was perfectly nice and was good for Kurt in high school. The truth was Jamie didn't like seeing Kurt with anyone. No one was deserving of him in Jamie's opinion.

Kurt looked at Jamie angrily and waited for him to avert his eyes with a shrug before turning back to Blaine. He tried to free his wrist from Blaine's death grip but when he did, Blaine just pulled him close enough for Kurt to smell the coffee on his breath.

"I still fail to see how that was your problem to get involved with. I could have handled it myself."

Blaine threw Jamie a look of betrayal because come on Blaine was only defending his little brother's honor there, and averted his gaze to Kurt, whose eyes were boring into Blaine's intensely.

"Oh yeah?"

Blaine asked, his voice calm yet challenging.

"As far as I remember you weren't even doing a good job of handling yourself."

Blaine finally released his wrist and he rubbed it exaggeratedly before running his fingers through his bed head when the memories of last night started flooding back of Blaine putting him to bed and he sighed heavily.

"I would have survived the night without you carrying me like a cave man to my room. Look... just stay out of my business; you will just end up making it more complicated."

Kurt sat down in the seat next to Blaine and pulled his coffee cup from his hands and took a big drink without even looking to see Blaine's reaction all though he tried to hide a smirk when Jamie stifled a laugh.

Blaine closed his eyes and then his mouth and scowled at Jamie who was looking at his brother proudly. Blaine knew how to wipe that look from his face with an exaggerated narration of the previous night but he didn't have it in himself to ruin his mood on their last full day together.

"Whatever you say, kid."

He got up from his chair to pour himself another cup of coffee and just when Kurt reached for the last piece of banana pancake, he beat him to it and took it to his plate with a satisfied smile on his face.

Jamie watched as Kurt and Blaine continued to banter about the last pancake and about how when Kurt went to put creamer in the coffee he pretended not to hear Blaine ask for it and all of it made Jamie smile. He didn't expect Blaine and Kurt to become fast friends, Blaine was too stuck in his ways and Kurt was too stubborn, he just wanted them to look out for each other.

Jamie was feeling guilty leaving his best friend and his little brother without him but judging by the way they were currently mocking each other in between eye rolls, they would be just fine. It would be good for Blaine to have a younger brother type to keep him on his toes and Jamie was confident Blaine would keep Kurt grounded just like he would if he was sticking around. Jamie stole the last bite of pancake from Blaine's plate and the rest of Kurt's coffee.

"Alright ladies stop your bitching and tell me what we are doing for my last day in AZ."

Blaine bit back another snarky comeback that was meant for Kurt and swallowed thickly, noticing the sad tone in Jamie's voice no matter how indifferent he meant to sound.

"Let's just stay in. I bet Bas will drop by after he gets rid of his treasure of last night too. I don't want to share my best friend with too many people on our last day together."

Kurt frowned when Jamie mentioned his last day. He had tried his best not to think about the fact that just when he got his brother back he had to leave again. Saying goodbye to Jamie was on the top of Kurt's list of things that sucked the most. Kurt hated to agree with Blaine but he nodded in agreement and grabbed everyone's empty plates and took them to the sink.

"Yeah let's just hang here. I have a hangover to nurse and I want my brother all to myself..."

Kurt looked over to where Blaine cleared his throat before turning back to Jamie.

"Well almost all to myself."

Jamie looked between his two bros and smiled big.

"Perfect. I'll start the Xbox."

***

Blaine had been in a bad mood since he woke up. He snapped at Kurt for taking too long in the shower and then he snapped at him again for making the shower smell like fucking strawberries. He kicked Sebastian out of his room first, and then the house because he was hogging the bed and Blaine couldn't get a good night sleep and Sebastian told him to stop taking it out on him for Jamie's leave before he went to get his goodbye hugs on with Jamie.

Blaine hated it. He absolutely hated that he wouldn't be sharing his life with the only person that got him like no other in his life anymore. He hated that now he had to replace him with some teenager who annoyed him to no end. He hated that he had no idea how to be a big brother when he didn't even have a decent father role model in his life.

He put on some basketball shorts and a white basic t-shirt and dragged his feet downstairs to find Jamie and Kurt cuddled up on the couch, watching reruns of SOA on TV. As if he didn't have it enough with Sebastian now Kurt was hogging all the quality time with his best friend and there wasn't even much of that left. Jamie was to leave in two hours.

Blaine returned Jamie's "morning" with a soft smile as he walked up to them and gave Kurt a head tilt when he looked his way before casually squeezing between them on the couch. He ignored the annoyed huff Kurt let out and pushed him to other side with his hip, grinning big when he heard Kurt curse under his breath.

"What up losers?"

Kurt pushed his shoulder into Blaine as he scooted over so that Blaine wasn't half on top of him and shot his brother a what the fuck look that was only returned with a sad smile. Kurt hated it. Kurt hated that Jamie was leaving him without an owner's manual on how to take care of Blaine, he hated that Jamie wouldn't be there when he came back from his first day of college, he hated that he had to say goodbye when it felt like he just said hi. Kurt acted like he was ready to start the chapter in his life but the truth was Jamie was the only one who made him feel like he could actually do it.

"Well we were having a great brotherly bonding moment until you came in. What about you? Realized you aren't the only one sad and decided to pull the stick out of your ass?"

Blaine put his head on Jamie's shoulder and got comfortable on the couch before shooting Kurt an unimpressed look. Though he could get why Kurt was being extra grouchy this morning, he really didn't have the time or the energy to pretend to be the bigger person about it.

"Stop being a little shit. He's my brother too."

Jamie sighed; though he usually secretly enjoyed Blaine and Kurt's bickering, he didn't want anyone to fight for his attention right now and make him feel guiltier than he already was. He was surprised when Kurt didn't have a response and just laid back on the couch with crossed arms. Jamie put his arm behind Blaine and reached out to put his hand on Kurt's shoulder while Blaine's head rested on his and they just stayed like that watching TV through glassed over eyes.

Even though all three of the boys were willing time to stand still, Jamie glanced at his watch noting that if he didn't leave soon he would be driving in the dark the whole way. Jamie stood up only to sit back down squeezing in between Kurt and Blaine.

"I fucking hate goodbyes so just listen because I am never repeating myself. You two are the most important people to me in this entire world. Now I have given my speeches to each of you individually but I want to say something to both of you. I need you to watch out for each other, have each other's backs. I wouldn't trust either of you in anyone else's hands. I need to know both of you will be alright without me."

Kurt's natural response was usually something snarky and sarcastic but not today. Today he listened. As much as Blaine could get on his nerves he knew just how important Blaine was to Jamie and he would just do anything for his big brother. Kurt reached for one of Jamie's hands.

"I promise Jamie."

Blaine saw Kurt purse his lips when he promised Jamie to look out for Blaine and he could see despite his unwillingness, he was pretty sincere about it and the word adorable crept into Blaine's head before he could stop it. He took Jamie's other hand and gave it a squeeze in reassurance before reaching out to ruffle Kurt's hair, messing it up even more as Kurt tried to shrug his hand off.

"Don't worry, bro. I've handled a Hummel in my life just fine so far, I bet I can do even better with another… Considering I have practice and all."

He let his lip curl into a relaxed smile when both Jamie and Kurt chuckled, Kurt with an edition of eye roll but who cared, and placed a kiss at the top of Jamie's hair before getting up from the couch.

"I'll go get the rest of your bags."

Kurt got up to follow Blaine to help, knowing otherwise he would try to carry them all and risk dropping Jamie's guitar which would result in Jamie killing Blaine before Kurt even had a chance to keep his promise to Jamie. Kurt smirked when he found Blaine trying to do exactly what he thought and grabbed a duffle bag off his shoulders giving him a warm smile when their eyes met. That boy wore his emotions on his face and aside from it being kind of adorable Kurt appreciated the fact that Blaine knew exactly what he was going through. Kurt picked up the last box and motioned with his head for Blaine to follow him.

Blaine followed Kurt outside with a fond smile on his face and watched him load the bags into Jamie's car. He placed the ones he was carrying in the trunk before they closed it, both shaking the dust off their hands.

Blaine startled when Jamie grabbed his arm from behind to turn him around.

"Let's make this quick, guys." he whispered into Blaine's shoulder when he pulled him in for a hug that lasted for too long to be counted as quick. Blaine hugged Jamie back with even more enthusiasm, not even caring that he was on the verge of tears for simply having to say goodbye to his best friend. With his workaholic father and too-depressed-to-deal-with-even- her-own-shit mother, Jamie was the only family Blaine knew he could trust with anything. It was never easy to part with that kind of connection.

"Don't be a shithead and call us as soon as you get there."

As soon as Blaine released Jamie from his hug, Kurt launched himself into his arms. It was all too overwhelming. His brother leaving and he on the verge of starting this brand new life and he just knew if he tried to make a big long speech about how much he was going to miss his brother, he would only make it through the first sentence before breaking down. So he hoped the tightest hug would get his point across. He finally released Jamie, biting his lip when he saw how hard Jamie was fighting the tears.

"You better get going big brother, the beach awaits you."

Blaine pulled Kurt aside when Jamie moved to get in the car and drive away without looking back because he was a fucker like that and Blaine was sure he was going to stop the car and just breathe for a while only after he disappeared from their sights. He caught a glimpse of Kurt biting his lip and staring down at his shoes as if they offended him out of the corner of his eyes and felt that stupid urge to wrap him up in fluffy blankets again. He shook his head to himself and nudged Kurt's shoulder gently, smiling a soft smile when he averted his gaze to Blaine.

"Come on, I'll buy you lunch."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"There are some people who touch you as if you are beautiful, and at times that is the most unbearable thing that you can feel. And there are some people who are so much that you can't look at them without feeling as if every nerve is pushing out of your body to try to touch his synapses, and you can't tell if your body is betraying your heart or your heart is betraying your skin."

Blaine rubbed his fingers over his eyes and pushed his chair back to go make himself some coffee as it was close to midnight and he was nowhere near to catching up with his deadlines. Writing captions for the live broadcasts and helping run and write the copy for the online news stories wasn't what he had in mind for his future job but still it was a pretty decent one for someone who wanted to make some cash and continue his education at the same time. It wasn't much but it was enough to pay the expenses for Blaine's baby which he could only buy by selling the latest Mercedes his dad got him as a graduation gift. Blaine was never going to forget the look on Jamie's face when he saw the car and how he started to call Blaine Mr. Anderson to piss him off. That was how much his dad knew him and in the end he found a way to turn things into his favor so he couldn't complain much really.

He raised his eyebrows when he walked in the kitchen and saw the coffee machine already started, the smell of a full, fresh pot of steaming coffee putting an involuntary smile on Blaine's face. Sharing a living space with Kurt wasn't as hard or annoying as Blaine thought it would be but still there were times Blaine climbed the stairs about to barge in Jamie's room only to remember it wasn't Jamie that was the other end of the door and just went to his room instead, slamming the door behind himself. They both were still getting used to each other and if Blaine was to be completely honest, Kurt was doing his share of trying to make things easier. Not that it would ever be as easy as it was to live with Jamie, but Blaine thought the least he could do was try his best to not let his best friend down. That was why he was making sure Sebastian and Kurt were never alone in the same room when Bas dropped by, or replaced vodka bottles with beer cans if Kurt wanted to join them for a movie night, or reminded Kurt, much to his chagrin, that there was no such thing as harmless flirting and Adam would agree with him if he asked him. It was needless to say Kurt was far from being pleased with Blaine, but no one said they had to be happy about taking care of each other, right?

He found Kurt on the couch, flipping channels while tapping at his phone without even looking down when he came back to the living room. Blaine was sure Kurt was taking his phone even to the bathroom. He made a remark once about how that kind of codependency wasn't a healthy thing for a relationship and Kurt shut him up effectively by simply asking "What would you know?" Yeah, well Hummel's had a bite. Blaine was over it.

He settled into the other end of the couch and raised his coffee mug when Kurt looked over at him.

"Thanks for the coffee."

Kurt was too busy explaining yet another misunderstanding over text to his boyfriend to notice when Blaine walked in, it was only his loud yawn that caught Kurt's attention and made Kurt mirror the same tired sentiment. Kurt had found himself keeping Blaine's crazy hours as he settled into the house, mostly because if he fell asleep before Blaine it was pretty much guaranteed that he would just get woken up when Blaine finally made it back to his room for his bed time ritual. Sometimes he would fall asleep on the couch and depending on Blaine's mood he would either wake him up or leave him be and just cover him with a blanket. Kurt could tell by the amount of curse words Blaine uttered under his breath that he was stressed out so coffee was the least Kurt could do, and a happy Blaine was a much easier Blaine to live with than the alternative.

Kurt smiled at Blaine's gratitude and nodded.

"Sure. No problem.

A smirk slowly crept across his face and he couldn't resist.

"Though for the amount of coffee you drink that explains the hobbitness."

Blains rested his head against the back of the couch and set his mug down on the arm of the couch, a scowl pushing the corners of his lips down at the yet again another hobbit joke.

"How would you know? Coffee isn't a kid drink."

It was a pretty weak comeback but he was exhausted and since when were hobbit jokes counted as original anyways.

Kurt scoffed at Blaine's lame attempt at a comeback. He was usually more inventive than that, but he knew calling Kurt a kid would always annoy him.

"Damn you must be tired."

Kurt rolled his eyes at the last passive aggressive text from Adam, resolving that it wasn't anything a sexy Skype session couldn't resolve and dropped his phone on the couch tucking his legs underneath him and focusing in on Blaine.

"You shouldn't kill yourself every night you know, no sleep is bad for your skin."

Blaine stretched his legs on the couch now that Kurt got his out of the way and pushed his shirt up to take a look at his skin, shrugging as he averted his gaze to Kurt.

"Nah, I think I am good."

Kurt's eyes went wide when he got a glimpse of Blaine's abs and his stupid brain took 5 seconds too long before it realized he shouldn't be staring. It wasn't that Kurt had suspected anything less, he knew Blaine had a good body, and obviously he knew it as well, Kurt just wasn't expecting it, that's all. Kurt tried to play off what he was sure was a blush on his face and rolled his eyes. He reached out, brushing a curl out of Blaine's eye and poked at the corners of his eye.

"Well what about these wrinkles, old man?"

Blaine scrunched his nose at the nickname and grabbed Kurt's wrist, pulling him down until they were on the same eye level. Kurt blinked and Blaine made his final decision about Kurt's eye color. They were ocean blue.

"They're called smile lines, smartass. It comes naturally with my charming persona."

Kurt stretched out his legs pushing Blaine's off the table where they were resting, smiling smugly.

"Are you sure you didn't mean cocky persona?"

Kurt raised an eyebrow at Blaine and looked at his watch again.

"Maybe you should be drinking warm milk instead of coffee."

Blaine gave Kurt a terse look and drank the rest of his now lukewarm coffee, putting it down on the table next to Kurt's feet with a loud thud.

"We call that projecting in psychology. As far as I know one of us is still considered too young to even buy alcohol and it isn't me."

He got up from the couch and lingered around for a while before settling into his chair, his voice soft and fond as he spoke, remembering all the times he was pulling an all nighter and Jamie sent him to bed with a glass of warm milk with a touch of cinnamon in it.

"Not that anything is wrong with warm milk."

Kurt smiled bigger than he should have at Blaine's dismissive comment on warm milk but it reminded him of his brother and all their late night talks at the kitchen table when they were kids. Kurt stood up stretching in front of Blaine before walking in the kitchen and heating up a saucer of milk pouring it into two mugs topping with his signature sprinkle of cinnamon. He handed one to Blaine giving him a side smile.

"Go to bed Blaine."

Blaine looked away as Kurt stretched his arms, exposing a very generous part of his skin from underneath his t-shirt, Kurt was as pale as Jamie, and went back to his macBook, and noted down a couple ideas that he might use later on. He couldn't help but smile in return when Kurt handed him a mug of warm milk, holding Blaine's gaze as if he knew just what he had been thinking about. It wasn't the same but it was something so Blaine nodded, sharing a bond of understanding with Kurt without actually saying anything.

They were still quiet when they drank up their milk, shoulders brushing against each other lightly as they leant against the kitchen counter. Blaine closed the lid of his laptop and followed Kurt upstairs. Just when Kurt was about to walk into his room, Blaine reached out and grabbed Kurt's wrist in a way that started to be very familiar. He let his lips curl into a playful smile and looked at Kurt's face teasingly.

"Just keep it down, okay? You're not as quiet as you think you are."

Kurt was mortified at Blaine's comment and he was sure he was beet red. Kurt tugged his arm out of his tight grasp and tried to recover the best he could because Blaine did not deserve to be that smug but no witty came to mind so he just stared at Blaine for a second and sighed loudly.

"God Blaine just go to bed."

Kurt immediately went to his room shutting the door loudly before Blaine could make fun of the blush on his cheeks. His only comfort was that he had been told that the sounds he made were ridiculously hot, so at least Blaine couldn't make of fun of him for that. He shook his head and resolved that next time he would turn up the music.

Kurt had expected to wake up in the morning to his sky blue Prius waiting for him in their driveway but instead he woke up to a phone call from the shipping company telling him that there was a delay and he wouldn't have his baby for a couple more days. Not the way Kurt wanted to start off his first day of college. He didn't need the added panic of now figuring out how he was going to get to school and the worry of being late to his very first college class. A couple deep breaths later he tried to shake it off and just decided to start to get ready and worry about his ride predicament later. He was glad that thanks to Jamie he already had his first day of school outfit picked out so he could at least avoid that stress but he still pressed his jeans and steamed his diesel shirt a second time just to be sure. He took extra time in the bathroom to style his hair wanting to make a good first impression on whomever he may encounter on campus, ignoring the three times Blaine tried opening the door to the bathroom only to sigh louder each time when he came to find out it was still locked. Kurt checked and double checked his messenger bag, making sure he had everything he could possibly need. He went back and forth to his room 5 times grabbing extra pens, or highlighters, he was so nervous of not being prepared he probably would have grabbed crayons and glue if he actually had them.

The last thing left for Kurt to do, which he was not particularly looking forward to, was to ask Blaine for a ride to campus. Kurt did not come to this decision lightly, he played around with the idea of taking the bus but just looking at the bus schedules gave him anxiety. He also tried texting Noah for a ride, but he was already on campus. He was sure his request would be met by Blaine with jokes on how he was a kid and couldn't drive and any other lame joke he was saving for just this situation, but Kurt didn't really have any other option. So begrudgingly Kurt knocked on Blaine's bedroom door, not expecting him to answer it as he was putting on his t-shirt, making him forget exactly why he was at Blaine's door for a second.

"Uh um my car didn't get delivered like it was supposed to. Do you think you could give me a ride to campus?"

Blaine left the door open and walked back in his room, gesturing Kurt to follow as he hopped down on his bed to put on his dark blue Keds.

He smiled an amused smile once he heard Kurt's question and looked up from his shoes to give him a once over, eyebrows raised to his hairline.

"Are you sure about that?"

Kurt crossed his arms clearly not having time for Blaine's games. He had a perfectly good car parked along the street that he hardly ever used, he was just trying to be difficult.

"Yes of course I'm sure. Could we get going? I have class in an hour and I don't want to be late."

Blaine let out a sigh and bit his inner to keep himself from saying something back, mostly because he still remembered how shitty his first day in college would have gone if he hadn't one Jamie Hummel by his side and Kurt didn't have anyone let alone Jamie.

"Ok, babycakes, lead the way."

Blaine laughed at the bitch face Kurt made at the nickname harder than he should have and followed him downstairs. He locked the door behind them and walked up to their driveway only to find Kurt across the street, standing next to their neighbor's gray Toyoto.

Blaine leant back against his black beauty lazily and called out to Kurt who was looking back at him with an annoyed expression on his face.

"Have you changed your mind? Will Mr. Grayson give you a ride instead?"

Kurt looked at Blaine confused and then back at the gray car he was now leaning against and then up at their neighbors house and then back at Blaine, now at least a couple of shades redder. He looked around making sure no one else saw his mistake and walked quickly to where Blaine was leaning against a motorcycle and Kurt immediately started shaking his head.

"No. Not happening. Where's your real car?"

Blaine crossed his arms over his chest and looked back at Kurt with narrowed eyes, his amused smile turning into a scowl.

"What the fuck do you mean real? This is my ride. Take it or leave it."

Kurt looked at the bike with mild horror on his face.

"T-this is it? This is all you have?"

Kurt bit his lip and looked at Blaine.

"Is it safe?"

Blaine pursed his lips and gave Kurt an offended look. What kind of a question was that? It was a True Blue Harley Davidson and cost Blaine way more than it would have if he wanted to buy that gray Corolla Kurt had been sending longing looks at. It didn't hurt that it was the sexiest ride one could ever have.

He shook his head disapprovingly and went to take his helmet from the back before standing in front of Kurt, his expression sour yet serious.

"You trust me or not?"

Kurt hesitated for a second. Not because he didn't trust Blaine, he weirdly did which was not something that was normally that easy for Kurt, but because he was scared. He had never even touched a motorcycle let alone ride on one and plus what about his hair? After thinking it over for a moment he decided he didn't really have any other option and campus wasn't all that far away so he took the helmet from Blaine and stood awkwardly by the bike, not knowing what to do. He watched Blaine swing his leg over and sit down, looking like he really belonged on the bike which was surprising to Kurt because he never really pictured Blaine like that. He clumsily got on the bike behind Blaine and looked around for something to hold on to.

"What do I hold on to?"

Blaine waited to hear the sound of Kurt buckling his helmet and tightened his glove straps before twisting the grip towards himself. While he was warming up the bike, he could feel Kurt's body brush up against his slightly and from the way Kurt's voice sounded, unsure and still scared, it was obvious it was his first time.

He brought his arms back and grabbed Kurt's sides to pull his body into his closer before wrapping Kurt's arms around his waist securely.

"Ready?"

He raised his voice to be heard over the sexy roar of his baby, a big smile gracing his lips as he flipped the kickstand up.

Kurt felt the bike rumble to life underneath him and a twinge of excitement mixed with fear bubbled inside his stomach although once Blaine wrapped Kurt's arms around him it felt more like excitement than fear since his safety seemed less of a concern being that close to Blaine. Kurt made sure the strap of his messenger bag was securely on his shoulder and he nodded at Blaine smiling at the big grin on his face. Once Blaine flipped the kickstand and maneuvered the bike out of the neighborhood, Kurt's nerves came back and his arms instinctively tightened around Blaine's middle and he scooted closer so his chest was flush against Blaine's strong back. Kurt could feel the muscles through Blaine's shirt tighten just slightly and he decided to just focus on that and not think about the busy intersection they were coming up on. Blaine surprised him by turning right before the light and taking him down another neighborhood street and Kurt let out a sigh of relief and opened his eyes that he didn't realize he was closing. When he did, he noticed the nice breeze blowing against his cheeks, the odd sense of freedom he had not being surrounded by car doors and windows, the expert way Blaine seemed to be handling the bike and still, the tightness of Blaine's abs as he leant over just a bit and increased the speed. This might not be so bad after all.

Blaine's smile grew bigger when he felt the vibrations of Kurt's laugh against his shoulder, the way his body relaxed and the dead grip he had around Blaine's waist was loosened, just slightly enough so his nails weren't dug into Blaine's stomach letting him know he started to enjoy the ride. Blaine loved it. Any time he got in a stupid fight with Jamie, or he was bored or feeling stressed, he would hop on his bike and take off with no plan, no destination, and no time schedule. That alone was uplifting and empowering. And he was thrilled to see that Kurt didn't turn out to be a skittish, control freak and just let himself trust Blaine.

Kurt's arms were still wrapped around Blaine when Blaine pushed the handgrip towards himself and slowed down the motorcycle, pulling into the driveway near Kurt's first class. He flipped the kickstand down and smiled when he heard Kurt exhale loudly before turning around to face Kurt who was fidgeting with the strap of his helmet. Blaine pushed his hands away and unbuckled the helmet with ease before taking it off Kurt's head. Kurt blinked and smiled, real and beautiful and Blaine hated himself for enjoying it a little too much.

"See, you are still alive."

Kurt looked into Blaine's honey colored eyes that looked more alive than he had ever seen them and nodded pleasantly still sitting with his body close to Blaine's.

"Y-yeah I survived."

Kurt bit his lip.

"How bad is my hair?"

Blaine took a look at Kurt's hair, wind blown, slightly flattened and sticking to everywhere and shrugged like it didn't matter because honestly he didn't see the difference and with those pants that looked like were painted on Kurt, Blaine didn't think anyone was going to pay attention to the hair.

"It's not bad. You're okay, kid."

Kurt rolled his eyes at the word "kid" and put his hand on Blaine's shoulder leaning forward so he could swing his other leg around and got off the bike. He smoothed out his shirt and jeans before looking towards campus, his nerves suddenly coming back but for different reasons this time. He watched Blaine get off his bike and smooth out his wind blown hair.

"Thanks for the ride."

Kurt looked down, the dirt by his feet suddenly very interesting.

"Uh Blaine? Do you think you can give me a ride back home too?"

Blaine bit his lips into a smile and nodded even though Kurt couldn't see him because he was looking at anywhere but Blaine's face.

"Sure thing. I'll text you when I'm done."

Kurt looked up then and though visibly more relaxed, he still seemed nervous and Blaine realized once again just how young and inexperienced Kurt actually was. He let out a sigh and decided to hell with it because Jamie wasn't there and Blaine was all Kurt had. So he reached out and grabbed Kurt's arm, ignoring the surprised look in Kurt's face as he gave him a soft smile.

"Just uh... Just picture everyone in their underwear, okay? The funnier the underwear the better. I promise it helps."

Kurt laughed and smiled genuinely and exhaled heavily.

"Hopefully my professor's cute then."

Kurt winked at Blaine and started to walk away, turning back around to find Blaine still watching at him.

"Thanks Blaine. See you later."

Blaine pushed his hands into his pockets and gave Kurt a head tilt in return, watching him walk away with a fond smile on his face. Come to think of it, maybe Blaine wouldn't have made an awful big brother after all.

***

Blaine rolled his eyes when Quinn threw herself into Kurt's arms as soon as she walked in the door, a serious looking Noah-dude, just call me Puck- like what the fuck- trailing behind her. Blaine didn't even know when they found the time to get so close considering neither of them spent time with each other without Blaine's presence.

"It's because it's love at first sight, Anderson. Stop questioning it."

Quinn plopped down on the couch with a smug looking Kurt agreeing with her as she carded her delicate fingers through Kurt's tousled hair. Whatever. Quinn could be the new babysitter for all Blaine cared. Mike and Santana arrived shortly after, whispering furiously among themselves before greeting everyone, Santana sending a very suspicious wink at Quinn's way. Blaine suggested they pick the movie before Sebastian arrived if they didn't want to be exposed to an insane amount of Jude Law. There were only so many times Blaine could watch Sherlock Holmes with Jude Law as John Watson because as far as Blaine was concerned, there was only one and it was Martin Fucking Freeman.

It was a chaos at first; Quinn whining about not watching enough Ryan Gosling, Puck insisting on The Godfather, Mike going on about the merits of doing a Fast & Furious marathon. But then Santana said Tarantino, Kurt shouted Kill Bill and Blaine nodded adamantly. It satisfied everyone and right on time too because seconds later Sebastian barged in with two six-packs in his arms, calling out to Blaine from the kitchen.

"Pizza guy at the door!"

Kurt got up from where he was sitting in between Quinn and Noah to greet Sebastian. He smiled a flirty smile enough to confuse Bas and give Kurt time to slip a case of beer from under his arm quickly taking two and throwing one to Noah. It was just easier that way than to argue about it with Blaine before he ultimately gets to drink it anyways. Kurt laughed at Sebastian's surprised look and pressed his finger to his lips signaling for him to keep quiet. Bas was harmless but Kurt found it too easy not to play him and it made it even more fun knowing that Blaine hated it.

When Blaine came out of the kitchen Kurt took back his place on the couch smirking when Blaine's eyes darted toward the beers Noah and Kurt were drinking.

"So now that Bas has graced us with his presence and refreshments, can we start the movie?"

Blaine picked up a slice of cheese pizza and returned his gaze to the screen after eyeing the beer in Kurt's hand disapprovingly. It wasn't that he expected anyone to wait to drink until they are 21 but well Kurt was his responsibility and Blaine didn't want a repeat of the night they didn't speak of.

He grunted his complaints when Quinn and Kurt just didn't stop giggling at Sebastian's live commentary about how Uma Thurman was so his type except she was lacking some essential body parts.

"It's like me and Kurt."

Quinn quipped as her grin grew wider.

"I would have stolen Kurt from his boyfriend if I had the right body, damn."

Blaine raised an eyebrow and turned to look at Quinn with a sarcastic smile.

"That and the fact you're like 7 years older than him. You'd basically be dating a kid."

Quinn scrunched her face into a frown and shook her head at Blaine like he failed her.

"And since when is age a criteria? You were all "get some" about Bas dating that high school kid in junior year. Like being older is a gender thing and exclusive to masculine trait."

Blaine let out an exhausted sigh like he didn't have time for that and took a long swig of his beer. The awkward silence was disrupted by Sebastian nudging Blaine's shoulder with the tip of his beer.

"Man, Colin was some fine ass though. It's been long since I had someone like him."

Kurt shrugged at Noah who was looking at him extremely confused and clinked his beer with his like Bas did with Blaine. Kurt than leaned over to Quinn placing a loud kiss on her cheek.

"Aww baby you would be the first one I come to if I dump my boyfriend and change my sexuality."

Kurt heard an exaggerated sigh come from Blaine who was sitting at his feet and Kurt kicked him playfully in the back.

"What? Is it just that you can't keep up with a younger man, grandpa?"

Blaine snorted around the rim of his beer bottle at Kurt's question and grabbed his ankle to pull him down on the floor next to him, chuckling at the thump sound he made when he fell on his ass. He ignored the murderous look on Kurt's face and threw one arm over his shoulder, ruffling his hair until he heard Kurt say his name in that threatening tone Blaine couldn't help but find endearing.

"If with younger men, you mean kids then hell no, I ain't no one's nanny, babycakes."

Kurt darted his head away from Blaine's hand who was wreaking havoc on what was a pretty good hair day.

"Don't take it out on me just because you can't keep younger *men* satisfied like it seems Bas can."

He didn't hide the cocky grin that came across his face when Quinn and Noah uttered their "Oooh's" in perfect harmony.

Blaine rolled his eyes at Sebastian hi fiving with Mike and ignored Santana's "get a room"-because what the fuck?!- before turning to his side to face Kurt properly. He smiled a calm smile and reached out to touch Kurt's hair, gentler this time, dragging his fingers down his face as his eyes bored into Kurt's. He let his hand cup Kurt's cheek, his thumb just brushing the curve of Kurt's mouth softly. He leant forward, only slightly enough so only Kurt could hear what he was going to say.

"Younger men wish I looked at them twice, kid."

Kurt hated that his breath hitched when Blaine got that close to his face and by the smirk on Blaine's face the moment he pulled back, he heard it too. He also hated the quiet chuckles from the peanut gallery, namely Santana who wasn't really trying to be all that quiet. Kurt's skin felt warm from where Blaine had touched his skin and his mouth felt a little dry keeping him from coming up with a witty comeback. So Kurt just took the beer out of Noah's hand for not defending him and leant back against the couch trying to focus on the movie while Blaine kept the satisfied smile on his face.

Blaine threw a pillow at Mike's way when he started to whistle Kill Bill because it was already reached to perfection and they didn't need Mike to butcher it and leant up to grab another beer from the coffee table before handing it to Kurt without a word. That frown Kurt still had going on his face was going to give him wrinkles or some shit and Blaine didn't want to be responsible for that too.

He smirked behind his bottle when he saw Santana take Kurt's old place first then pretty much climb half on top of Quinn's lap. Jamie totally saw that coming and Blaine let out a deep sigh when he searched for Jamie's cocky smile in the room and found Sebastian wiggling his eyebrows at Blaine instead. He set his beer down on the floor and took his phone out of his pocket. He went to Snapchat app, nudged Kurt to pose with him, snapped a selfie and added a "Wish you were" caption before sending it to Jamie, not saying anything when Kurt binge drank the rest of his beer afterwards.

Kurt wasn't sure if it was the way Quinn had been running her fingers through Kurt's hair or the fact that the beer was failing to give him a buzz and just making him relaxed instead but he was finding it very hard to keep his eyes open during the second half of the movie. He must have started to nod off because he felt a hard elbow in his side but when his eyes shot open Blaine's eyes were glued to the TV. Kurt tried to sit up straight and blink his eyes to get him awake but it didn't help and he soon found himself falling asleep again. The next time his eyes opened he found his head resting on Blaine's shoulder, Kurt looked up at Blaine expecting a nudge or comment telling him to go to bed but Blaine just half smiled and moved his arm so it was draped against the couch allowing Kurt to snuggle in more comfortably. Kurt was glad Blaine happened to be in a good mood, because he was weirdly comfortable and the last thing he wanted was to move to anywhere besides right against the steady breathing sounds of Blaine's chest.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

**(AN: Ah our boys are getting to be a little oblivious to whats going on between them. ;) It is so fun to write. Thank you all for reading this WIP and for your comments thus far! We are really excited where this fic is going! Enjoy!)**

"_The unknonwnness of my needs frightens me. I do not know how huge they are, or how high they are, I only they are not being met."_

Kurt pulled his car into the driveway alongside Blaine's motorcycle, making sure to keep a safe distance away from it because otherwise he would get an earful from Blaine about how he needs to be more careful of his "baby." Kurt didn't completely understand Blaine's obsession with his bike and he was 99% sure that if Blaine could only save his Harley or Kurt Blaine would choose the bike in a heartbeat even if it meant breaking a promise to Jamie. Plus Kurt didn't really want to ruin his chances of getting to ride passenger again because as it turns out he kind of loves it.

Kurt eased out of his Prius, wincing slightly, still feeling the remnants from a night out with Noah. That, mixed with a hangover made it a very good possibility that Kurt wouldn't be doing much of anything the rest of the day. He opened the front door quietly, hoping not to wake Blaine as it was way too early for him to be up on a Saturday morning. He crept into the kitchen, in desperate need of coffee, when the sight of Blaine sitting in the dark with his arms crossed with a not so happy look on his face startled him.

Kurt averted his eyes and walked into the kitchen.

"What? Did I miss my curfew?"

Blaine deleted the eighth text message he was about to send to Kurt- not that he was counting or anything- and set his phone down on the table before getting up to follow him into the kitchen. He leant against the wall next to the kitchen door, taking a moment to keep his calm and crossed his arms over his chest again, punctuating each word as he spoke.

"Where the hell have you been?"

Kurt walked to the coffee maker to start a new pot, shrugging his shoulders sarcastically. He was too hangover for yet another Blaine lecture and it was way too early to be reminded how he wasn't Jamie. Kurt was a grown man, in college and he shouldn't have to answer to anyone if he wanted to stay out all night. He knew deep down Jamie would be exactly like Blaine but he resolved it would be equally annoying.

"Not that it is any of your business but I was out with Noah and then I crashed in his dorm. No big deal."

Blaine gritted his teeth, his eyes following the movement of Kurt's hands on the coffee maker intently.

"You made it my business when you, all of a sudden, forgot how to answer your fucking phone. Jamie called and wanted to talk to you too. But guess what? I had no fucking idea where you were and I had to lie to my best friend because of you."

He wetted his lips with his tongue and took a couple steps towards Kurt, staring him back down as he gave Blaine an already bored look.

"This will not happen again."

Kurt scoffed at Blaine's demand and reached up to find his favorite coffee mug in the cupboard.

"Please, Blaine it's just one night. I didn't want to drive after I had been drinking and I did not ask you to lie Jamie on my behalf. Lighten up."

"Lighten up? How the fuck could I know yo-..."

Whatever Blaine was going to say froze at the tip of his tongue when Kurt held up his arm and Blaine's eyes zoomed in on the flash of skin where Kurt's shirt had ridden up on the right side. Blaine swallowed thickly and closed the remaining distance between their bodies without even noticing his feet were moving, eyes still glued to Kurt's probably freshly done tattoo, looking so dark next to the stark paleness of Kurt's skin.

Blaine who already forgot what he was talking about minutes ago, reached out to push the hem of Kurt's shirt all the way up to reveal the tattoo he could only see for a second, mindless of any personal space or appropriate behavior. He brushed his thumb over one of the tiny blackbirds in fascination, his finger warm against Kurt's chilled skin, goose bumps breaking out as Blaine dragged his thumb along Kurt's side. He could see the blackbirds following a trail starting from Kurt's hipbone, flying out of a tree, up to his ribcage. It looked like _sin_.

"Did you... Uh when did you get this?"

Kurt's breath hitched in his throat when Blaine's hands were suddenly all over his skin. He couldn't help but shudder when Blaine traced his fingers down his ribcage and all he could do was just watch Blaine's fingers with his mouth slightly agape. His warm touch felt oddly soothing over the slight burn of his new tattoo and although it was very out of the ordinary to have Blaine invade his space like that, Kurt didn't protest, he just continued to stare.

"I uh... um... last night."

Blaine licked his lips, still staring down at where his fingers were touching Kurt's skin and he knew how wrong it was, to take without asking first, in this case, even just to take because there was nothing friendly about the way the feel of Kurt's skin was sending a hum through Blaine's body.

Blaine closed his eyes and willed himself to take his hand off of Kurt, taking a couple steps back before schooling his features into a serious expression and returning his gaze to Kurt's face, which was looking more flushed than it was mere minutes ago.

"Does Jamie know? Where did you get it? Do you even know how many different skin infections it can cause if not done properly? Jesus, Kurt why do you have to be such a brat about everything?"

Kurt looked at Blaine with a confused expression, not knowing exactly what to do. One second Blaine's fingertips were skimming over his skin and the next he was peppering him with questions. He pulled his shirt back down after grabbing two coffee cups, tugging it down making sure his tattoo was covered.

"I haven't had the chance to tell Jamie since I got it last night, Blaine."

Kurt sighed when Blaine's scowl got bigger.

"Noah and I got them done at the tattoo shop by campus. Quinn recommended it."

Kurt made sure to make eye contact with Blaine and then frowned.

"And why can't you just be cool for once? You would be high fiving Jamie if it was him who got a tattoo not me."

"You aren't Jamie."

Blaine grabbed one of the coffee mugs from Kurt's hand without saying anything else and went to take his seat at the table, Kurt trailing behind him. He was being unnecessarily harsh but he was still freaking about those stupid seconds he let himself forget about who Kurt was and he was making Kurt pay for it along with himself.

"Jamie wouldn't get a tattoo without me by his side."

Kurt grabbed the coffee pot and creamer from the fridge filling Blaine's cup and then his before he sat across from him, the frown still playing on his face despite how hard he tried for it not to show how much what Blaine said bothered him.

"You're right I'm not Jamie. And neither are you. Jamie would have asked me the reason I got it before freaking out. Because he knows me and knows I would never just get a tattoo for no reason."

Blaine looked up from his mug and kept Kurt's gaze for a while, not surprised when Kurt didn't look away and looked back in Blaine's eyes instead. He opened his mouth to say something but then shook his head like he changed his mind and took a sip from his mug, wincing slightly at the scolding temperature of the coffee. Neither of them talked as they drank up their coffee, Blaine chewing his inner lip as he thought about how it hadn't even been a month since Jamie left and how much he was fucking it up already.

He cleared his throat and nudged Kurt's foot with the tip of his under the table, trying to keep an apologetic smile on his face.

"So why did you?"

Kurt stood up taking his cup to the sink and leaned against the counter, biting his lip before looking back into Blaine's eyes. He raised his shirt up to look at the tattoo again. He almost backed out four times before Noah finally forced him into the chair, but once he got it, he was very happy with how it turned out.

"I wanted something to represent this new part of my life."

Kurt traced his fingers over the dark tree at the top of his hip bone.

"The tree represents my life back in Chicago. Dark, ominous... scary."

Kurt then slowly guided his fingertips, following the trail of birds flying from the tree up his side.

"All these blackbirds represent me coming here, leaving my past behind. Starting new."

Blaine tried to focus on what Kurt was saying, he really did but he was a lost cause the moment Kurt pushed his shirt up and revealed the little blackbirds dancing on skin again. He didn't know why he was so intrigued by some tattoo that he would never look at twice if he saw it on someone else's body and he was painfully aware that his sudden fascination with the dark ink on Kurt's pale skin was bad news. Still, he couldn't help the way his eyes dropped to Kurt's navel where his fingers brushed against the worried skin lightly. He was such a tease and he didn't even know it. That should have stopped Blaine from getting up from the table and making his way to where Kurt was leaning back against the kitchen counter, eyes never leaving the trail of birds on Kurt's skin.

"Uh. May I?"

Blaine asked pointing at the tattoo and his voice cracked because fuck he didn't even know what he was asking from Kurt. Kurt nodded anyway, mouth open and eyes wide and full of confusion as he kept his gaze on Blaine's face. Blaine started from the bottom this time, tracing each and every little black bird with his finger as he made his way up Kurt's side, his throat feeling too dry, probably from all the coffee he'd been drinking.

"Beautiful."

Even Blaine wasn't sure what he was talking about.

Kurt let out a shaky breath, he didn't mean to, but apparently that was the only thing he could do when Blaine was touching his bare skin. Kurt's only real thought was how it would feel if Blaine's fingers trailed all the way up his neck, and God what would it feel like if his fingers ran through his hair. And all of those things should not be things he should be thinking about. Kurt let out a nervous chuckle.

"I should have just started with this then."

Kurt about face palmed when he spoke. What the fuck did he even mean?

Blaine looked up from where he was staring down at the stark contrast between his olive colored fingers on Kurt's white, delectable skin, eyebrow raised to his hairline as if to ask "Huh?" That was when he realized he was kind of overstaying his welcome and let go of Kurt's side, wiping his palm to his jeans as if to erase the tingly feeling he still had at his fingertips.

Blaine took a step back and averted his gaze to Kurt's face, exhaling loudly as he put his hands into his pockets.

"Yeah um so, make sure Jamie knows about it before he comes to visit. You're ... Uh. It looks good, kid."

No matter how much Blaine would hate to admit, the addition of "kid" was more for his sake than Kurt's.

Kurt just nodded his head and kept nodding because he still had a hard time remembering how to speak. God this was awkward, why was it awkward? Kurt never thought he would wish they would go back to their witty banter and eye rolling that they had grown accustomed too. Awkward was dangerous.

Kurt brushed by Blaine on his way out of the kitchen doing his best to plaster a cocky smile on his face.

"Yeah um... I will tell him I got your approval. Oh and *kids* don't get tattoos FYI."

Blaine bit the inside of his lip but couldn't help the dark chuckle that escapes his lips, nor the way his eyes got darker when he called out to Kurt.

"Maybe I should ground you then."

Kurt rolled his eyes at Blaine, which felt much more normal and tried to hide the blush spreading across his cheeks, which also was becoming the norm. He started walking toward his room and held up his shirt one last time.

"Nope. Remember I'm a free bird now, no one is holding me down."

Blaine shook his head and muttered to himself as Kurt climbed the stairs to his room.

"Seems more like jail bait than a free bird to me."

Kurt had been secretly hoping that Blaine would suggest they take his motorcycle over to Quinn's for their weekly movie night but since they were in charge of the pizza and beer for the night, it wasn't practical so here they were in Kurt's Prius listening to Maroon 5, Kurt turning it up each time Blaine tried to complain about Kurt's driving. Having the same musical taste was on the short list that of what Blaine and Kurt had in common and Kurt didn't want to ruin that with Blaine's nagging.

Once they reached Quinn's, they got out of the car quickly since they were already late, not because of Kurt's driving but because Blaine forgot to order the pizza before they actually got to the pizza place. Kurt slid his keys in his back pocket so he could grab the 2 large pizzas while he let Blaine grab the beer. As they started up to Quinn's house he realized he had forgotten to lock the car. Kurt sighed and looked over to Blaine.

"I forgot to lock the car, can you grab my keys? They're in my pocket."

Blaine rolled his eyes at Kurt and kept the beers under his arm as he moved closer, as slowly as he could, because he was enjoying Kurt's impatient huffs a little too much.

"Someone's still not over his bumper cars phase, I see."

He ignored the scowl that formed on Kurt's face upon his words and slid his hand in Kurt's back pocket, splaying his fingers out flat till they touched the metal of the keys. He hooked a finger under the keychain and dragged it out of Kurt's pocket, his knuckles brushing against Kurt's ass through the fabric of his black, tight as fuck jeans. Blaine seriously had no idea how Kurt managed to fit in those every day.

He made sure the car was locked and pocketed the car key while Kurt was busy looking down at his shoes, thus winning the "who should drive back" argument before it began. He nudged Kurt's shoulder on his way to the door, tipping his head to the side when Kurt gave him a confused look.

"Coming?"

Kurt was trying desperately not to think of Blaine's hand on his ass when his words shook him from his daze and he nodded with a little blush and went to knock on Quinn's door which Blaine just opened right after causing Kurt's trademark Blaine scowl to come across his face.

Noah was the first to greet them giving Kurt a bro hug both careful to avoid their sides as their tattoos were still sore. Then next thing he knew he was in a lady sandwich between Quinn and Santana who, if he was not mistaken, had their fingers interlocked against the small of Kurt's back. He gave them both a quick kiss on the cheek and followed Blaine into the kitchen.

Blaine immediately started to hand Kurt beer bottles which then Kurt automatically started to open with a bottle opener and hand them out to everyone who had gathered in the kitchen without even a question to Blaine. Kurt spotted Sebastian walk into the kitchen and waved him over with a beer; as he got closer, Kurt felt Blaine's eyes on both of them so Kurt placed his hand in Sebastian's shoulder.

"I saved this one especially for you."

Kurt immediately turned towards Blaine when Sebastian's face got a little whiter and shook his head no. The death stare Blaine was giving him was priceless and just the rise he wanted to get from both of them. He just cracked up and handed Sebastian a beer before pushing him away.

Blaine grabbed a beer for himself and left the rest on the counter for everyone else to help themselves, glaring at the smug smile Kurt was throwing his way. He made a show of rolling his eyes and just when he was about to pass Kurt on his way to the living room, he pinched Kurt's tattooed side, biting his lips into a smile at the squeak that escaped Kurt's lips.

"Oops. Kind of didn't see you there."

He clicked bottles with Mike and flopped down on the couch, scooting closer when Sebastian came to join them.

"You have your hands full with this one, man."

Blaine shrugged in a way as if to say it is what it is and took a long swig of his beer.

"I know I'm a fucking saint."

He cracked a grin at the scandalized look on Sebastian's face and moved to squeeze his shoulder, half as a joke, and half as a warning.

"Don't let him get under your skin though."

Sebastian raised an eyebrow and nodded halfheartedly, muttering under his breath as he turned his attention to Mike.

"Yeah right, look how it's turning out for you."

Kurt had overheard Blaine's comment as he fell down in the love sac next to Noah and threw a pillow at Blaine almost knocking the beer out of his hand.

"Whatever Blaine, people would kill to live with me. You should count your blessings."

Blaine looked like he was about to murder Kurt after almost spilling his beer and Quinn must have picked up on it so she effectively changed the subject on to the long excruciating topic of what movie they should watch tonight. Kurt never understood why they didn't just decide on this before everyone got there, or made the person hosting movie night pick but it seemed like everyone secretly like the debate.

"I think we should watch Pitch Perfect, and if you all disagree, I hate you."

Quinn flipped her hair and looked to Kurt for approval. Kurt gave her two thumbs up.

"I second that and we can duet on Titanium when that part comes on."

Blaine let out a pathetic groan when everyone but Mike and himself agreed on Pitch Perfect almost immediately, Santana because two naked girls singing in the shower and Puck because he oddly seemed to do whatever Kurt wanted to which Blaine didn't want to think further into and of course Sebastian because he had this weird obsession going on with Rebel Wilson. If Jamie was there, Blaine was sure they could've convinced everyone to give a chance to The Avengers or at least some X-Men but the golden age was over and Blaine wasn't going to hurt his brain over a movie.

"Whatever, losers." Blaine grunted, sinking deeper into the couch, his head on Sebastian's lap, as if ready to fall asleep already.

Kurt high fived Quinn as she passed to put the DVD in and heard Blaine sigh loudly. In reply Kurt stuck his tongue out at Blaine. He really, really liked getting his way over Blaine much more than even his brother.

Right when Freddie Stoma was showing off his abs, Kurt's phone went off causing pretty much everyone to glare at him and he quickly got up to take the call.

"Hey babe. No I'm actually at Quinn's, movie night."

Kurt walked quickly to the kitchen walking over Blaine's outstretched legs.

"I told you about it... Can I call you back?"

He slouched against the wall inside the kitchen running his fingers through his hair.

"Don't be like that. I have time for you, just not right now... Fuck, you know that's not what I meant."

Blaine was about to doze off when Sebastian's knee jerked up, causing Blaine's head to slip from his lap.

"The fuck?" He groaned as he sat up, shaking his head at Sebastian laughing with his whole body. He carded his fingers through his hair, rubbing his scalp soothingly as he looked around for another beer. Puck grabbed the last one from the coffee table just when Blaine reached for it and smirked at Blaine as he glared at him back, a scowl pushing the corners of his lips down.

He untangled his leg from Sebastian's and got up from the couch, making his way to the kitchen only to find Kurt leaning against the counter, talking to someone on the phone. At first Blaine thought it was Jamie and he opened his mouth to tell Kurt to say hi but Kurt didn't even look at his way and his voice was barely above a whisper as he spoke. His perfectly tousled hair was sticking out in every direction because he didn't seem to stop running his fingers through it. Blaine had never seen him look so stressed, not even on the day Jamie left for San Diego. It must have been the boyfriend.

He grabbed a beer from the fridge and cleared his throat loudly to catch Kurt's attention.

"Hey, Kurt." He spoke louder than he needed to, keeping eye contact with Kurt as he gave him a questioning look.

"Jamie is on the phone and wants to hear your voice."

Kurt raised his eyebrows in question at first, noticing Blaine didn't even have his phone but then realized what he was trying to do and gave him a grateful smile.

"Babe... I need to let you go. Jamie's on the phone and I haven't talked to him in like a week. Yeah, yeah I will call you as soon as I get home."

Kurt hung up and looked at Blaine with tired eyes.

"Thanks. He would not give it a rest tonight. It feels like all I do is re-assure him that I'm not doing anything wrong. It's exhausting."

Blaine nodded in understanding. He had never had a long distance relationship himself before but he witnessed enough to know they almost never work. He didn't share that with Kurt though. He just opened his beer and handed it to Kurt with a soft smile.

"Maybe he just misses you."

Kurt took a long drink of his beer and shrugged.

"Or maybe he just doesn't trust me."

Kurt could tell Blaine didn't know exactly what to say but he could tell by the way he bit his bottom lip that he was trying.

"C'mon let's get back to the movie. I know you can't wait for the acapella battles."

Blaine couldn't help the way the corners of his mouth went upwards, shaking his head fondly like he gave up. He grabbed another beer from the fridge and followed Kurt back into the living room, sharing a small smile with him before taking his old place. Sebastian gave him an odd look but returned his gaze to the screen once Blaine's smile disappeared from his face and he asked Sebastian what it was tersely.

Kurt sat on the floor in front of Quinn who wanted to play with his hair, which he obliged because he kind of liked the feeling of someone running their fingers through it. It was relaxing. Too relaxing as it turned out because within about 15 minutes he found himself nodding in and out and by the time the Treblemakers were performing at Nationals, he was fully asleep curled against Noah.

Quinn caught Blaine's eyes when he moved to get a slice of cold pizza from the coffee table and tipped her head down where a sleeping Kurt was curled up into a huge, puffy cushion, his lips half parted as he breathed in an out evenly. The eye roll came naturally to Blaine and he couldn't help snort when Kurt scrunched his face like he was seeing something unpleasant in his dream and sank further into the cushion. Blaine shook his head. It wasn't adorable at all.

"If he isn't up by the time this shit is over, you're waking him up." He whispered to Quinn when he caught her smiling down at Kurt's sleeping figure. Quinn gave him a stern mother hen look in return.

As the credits rolled, Noah started talking loudly about how he could have totally been in the Treblemakers and started to demonstrate his vocal prowess before Quinn's hand was thrown over his mouth quickly and she pointed to a sleeping Kurt.

"Shut up you asshole, he is too precious to wake up."

Quinn caught Blaine's eyes after Noah pried her hand off his mouth and gave him another stern look.

"Nope. Not doing it. How can you disturb that face? Poor thing, he must be so tired. Are you making sure he's getting enough rest Blaine?"

Blaine let out a groan and didn't even dignify Quinn's question with an answer. Kurt wasn't tired. He was just tipsy and a tipsy Kurt meant a sleepy Kurt. And Blaine wasn't really a babysitter dammit. He shook his head, mostly to himself and snuggled down next to Sebastian who was tapping at his phone with a signature Sebastian Smyth smirk on his face. That meant business. Sebastian booty called someone and was about to get lucky tonight.

Quinn also must have taken Blaine's silence as her cue to disappear into her room with Santana and barely minutes after Blaine could hear the faint sounds of giggles coming from her room.

Blaine got up from the couch with slumped shoulders, kicking Sebastian's legs out of the way just because and went to kneel down next to Kurt. He grabbed his shoulder so he would shake him until he woke up but right then Kurt turned to his side and snuggled into Blaine's legs like a fucking kitten. Blaine would find it cute if it wasn't so annoying.

"Jesus Christ, Kurt."

He muttered furiously as he put one arm under Kurt's neck and another under his thighs and scooped him up.

"Hnrmmh ?" Kurt mumbled, without opening his eyes. Blaine gave Sebastian an unimpressed look when he finally looked up from his phone only to wink at Blaine in a way that was probably supposed to mean something. Only Blaine didn't have time for it. He carried Kurt with ease, arms braced under his thighs and Kurt's arms on either side of his neck.

"You're a child," Blaine whispered in Kurt's ear, surprised at the fondness in his own voice. Kurt hummed his agreement and went back to drooling on Blaine's shirt. Blaine was not a babysitter.

Blaine, despite the fact that he left his room and came downstairs to get a piece of silence, still could hear the music blaring from Kurt's room. That had been going on since Kurt left the breakfast table with a huge cup of coffee, telling Blaine not to disturb him unless absolutely necessary as he was planning on working on some paper that was supposed to be a big deal for his grade. Blaine didn't even want to think about how he was going to deal with finals week.

He downed the rest of his beer and sat it down on the table before going up the stairs with quick steps, his eyebrows already drawn together and a frown on his face. Enough was enough and nobody said Blaine was a patient man. He turned the knob, swinging the door into the room, ready to tell Kurt to fucking turn it down but came to a halt at the sight in front of him. Kurt was dancing in dizzying circles around his bedroom, wearing gray sweatpants hanging lower on his waistline, exposing the smooth curve of his v-line. He had the huge window thrown open wide, letting the sticky heat of the day in so Blaine could see why he was forgoing any shoes or socks as he danced. For a moment Blaine forgot why he was standing there because Kurt was still dancing, eyes closed and completely unaware of Blaine's presence, skin glistening with sweat as he moved hips to the beat.

Blaine let his lips curl into an amused smile and stayed where he was for a minute, leaning against the door frame and just watching. The beat of the music was fast and heavy, something Blaine didn't think he heard before and Kurt's hair was a mess, sticking out in every direction, probably from running his hands through it constantly as he shook his hips to the beat of the song.

It was only when the unfamiliar song ended and the player skipped to another track, something Blaine knew this time- 'Shut Up And Dance' and really could it be any cheesier- that Kurt paused and tried to catch his breath, his eyes blinking open before he caught Blaine watching. Kurt grinned, easy and beautiful and Blaine shook his head to pull himself out of the daze he'd been in and replaced the amused smile on his face with a scowl instead

"What the fuck, Kurt?" he spoke over the loud music, one hand on his hip as he pointed at the speakers with the other one.

"Turn it down or I'll throw it out of the window."

Kurt had been in his room for hours trying to start his research paper for his intro to Econ class but nothing was coming to him and every sentence he wrote just ended up getting deleted a minute later. It also didn't help that Adam was texting him every ten minutes, obviously still pissed at Kurt for not calling him to say goodnight the night he got his tattoo. The tattoo he still hadn't told him about. Kurt had decided to drown out the text messages by connecting his phone to the Bose speakers Jamie left him and listening to music.

It didn't take long for Kurt to take part in his favorite stress reliever; blasting music and dancing like no one was around. It was so freeing and with every song he could feel the stress melting off. Of course Blaine came in just when what was arguably the best dancing by yourself song came on, yelling at him to turn down the music. Kurt didn't let the smile on his face falter, not when his mood had finally improved and especially not when the scowl on Blaine's face was not believable at all.

Instead Kurt turned the volume up, raising his eyebrows at Blaine and walked towards him grabbing both of his hands and pulled him into the middle of the room and just continued to dance. Kurt's smile only got bigger at Blaine's surprised look as he just stood there and watched Kurt as he danced around him. As the chorus kicked in Kurt mouthed the words "Shut up and dance" challenging him with his eyes.

Blaine didn't even try to look away from the bright, blue eyes, full of mischief, focused so intently on him it was like he was rooted to his spot and couldn't move even if he wanted to. He shook his head no but all Kurt did in return was grin wider. It was a new look on him; a mixture of happy and wild and carefree. Blaine liked it.

Before he could open his mouth to tell Kurt to shut it, Kurt's hands were on him, low on his hips, pressing in and forcing Blaine into the movement. It was more of muscle memory -because Blaine's body knew how to move when it had a body pressed so close to it, than actual willingness that made Blaine actually start to move, hips rocking and body swaying to the beat. Kurt had one lip between his teeth, but this close Blaine could see how his eyes were shining, how much clearer the blue in his eyes got every time he blinked. It wasn't long until he had Blaine dancing in earnest, singing along with Kurt at the top of his lungs.

Kurt couldn't help but laugh when Blaine took his hand and spun him around causing him to lose his balance and fall into his chest, and when Kurt pushed back he caught Blaine's eyes, the gold flecks almost dancing around in the beautiful hazel and the crinkles around his eyes made it seem like he was really enjoying himself.

The old Kurt would have turned off the music and hid in embarrassment the rest of the day if someone had caught him dancing like a fool. He wasn't sure what changed but he didn't care, he was going to be himself from now on no matter what, and it seemed like Blaine approved. There was a comfortableness with Blaine that didn't exist for Kurt with very many people and usually not this soon, but it was in these little moments Kurt understood why.

Kurt raised his arms and smirked at Blaine as he danced around before closing his eyes and moving his hands to run his fingers through his hair. He couldn't even remember what he was stressing about anymore.

Blaine willed his eyes to linger on Kurt's face, the relaxed way he threw his head back and exposed his long, pale neck or his broad shoulders, the way his arm muscles flexed as he raised his arms but none of it could keep his eyes from dropping to Kurt's middle, resting on the little pieces of the tattoo he could see from underneath his shirt. Would it be so wrong to reach out and put his hands on it really? They were dancing together, right? Kurt's hands were pretty much running all over his own body, be it the catching of fingertips or some presses of palms against his chest or back as he circled Blaine.

Because Blaine knew it wouldn't be the same, because he was the adult in this equation and mostly because he didn't want to mess up his life even more than he already did, he kept his hands to himself and just danced until the song was over. Kurt was still laughing as he flopped down on the floor, his back against the side of his bed, looking up at Blaine with joyous eyes. Blaine humored them both with a generous smile first but then schooled his features into a more serious expression as he looked down at Kurt.

"Tell anyone about this and I'll burn all of your designer jeans."

Kurt was still trying to catch his breath when Blaine spoke and looked up at him holding his gaze for a little while before biting his lip and nodding. It was over and Kurt felt his stomach drop at the thought, it probably was just because he had to get back to his paper and probably had nothing to do with Blaine and that sparkle in his eye that was now fading.

"Y...yeah sure. And I'll try to keep it down"

Blaine nodded shortly, though the corners of his lips went upwards slightly at the baby deer eyes Kurt was looking back at him with. Blaine wouldn't have actually burnt any of Kurt's jeans. That would have been a crime against humanity but Kurt didn't need to know about that.

He wiped the sweat off of his forehead with the back of his hand and walked over the door, feeling Kurt's eyes on him when he turned the knob and opened the door. He turned to face Kurt before he walked out, this time with a playful smirk on his face.

"And who knows.. If you're a good boy and get your studying done by dinner, we may have brownies for dessert. Jamie's recipe."

Kurt released his lip from his teeth smiling big as he headed back to his computer.

"You really know how to get me going."

Kurt saw Blaine raise his eyebrows with an amused look on his face before he realized how it sounded and he was sure he turned three shades of red at that realization.

"I...I mean you know how to motivate me... Like you know with Jamie's brownies."

Blaine chuckled at the flustered look on Kurt's face and the adorable way he rambled bashfully, feeling a lot lighter than he had been all day because this was what he got used to with Kurt. As long as they teased each other, as long as Kurt was a little shit about everything and Blaine a little bit of an asshole, they were going to be just fine. So Blaine let his lips turn into a cocky smile and left Kurt's room with a teasing "That's what he said." Kurt's audible "asshole" was making him grin bigger than he should have as he made his way back downstairs.


	5. Chapter 5

**(AN:****Things are starting to heat up you guys! We had so much fun writing this chapter. Can't wait to hear what you all think about it! Happy Valentines Day! ;) )**

Chapter 5

"_How do you do it? Undressing my soul bare with the intensity of your stare?"_

-Nurul

Kurt left his Sociology 101 class and checked his phone. One missed call from Noah, two texts from Quinn asking him to meet the gang at The Vine and one text from Blaine telling him to meet him at The Vine. Kurt loved that he always had somewhere to go, somewhere to be even if it was at times exhausting. He started the 15 min trek across campus to where his car was parked and he was already sweating by the time he made it out to Palm walk so instead of turning left he decided to go right towards the business college and in the direction of the bar he was meeting everyone at. He knew he would regret it later if he had to walk back to his car after the bar but he was sure if he threw Quinn some puppy dog eyes she would drive him or maybe he could even convince Blaine to take him home on his motorcycle. As he crossed the street and headed to the Vine he decided that yes, it was about time he had another ride on Blaine's bike, and he wasn't going to take no for an answer.

Kurt handed his fake id to the bouncer who must have known Jamie because he just smirked, shook his head and let him into the bar. Kurt smiled nervously and looked at his watch, noticing he was there about 20 minutes before everyone else had agreed to arrive. He headed to the half empty bar and sat two seats away from a cute boy nursing a PBR. He flashed him a friendly smile and then turned his attention toward the bartender ordering his rum and coke.

Jesse smirked behind his beer bottle and let his eyes rest on the new attendant of the bar, looking too young to order booze at a bar but doing it in a way that was so confident Jesse was sure it wasn't his first time here.

"Your id must be pretty good."

He blurted out, curling his lips into a smile when the boy met his eyes, confused at being talked to without a greeting whatsoever. Jesse shrugged and pointed at the general direction of the entrance.

"I know these guys. If it wasn't for my ex, I'd have had to wait till junior year to be let inside this place. Luckily he knew the owner."

Kurt took his drink from the bartender and moved so his body was facing the guy at the bar only to be met with the most inviting smile he had ever seen. Kurt always felt a slight since of guilt when a guy talked to him without Adam around but he kind of resolved there was no harm in flirting or being nice to someone as long as it didn't mean anything.

"I used my brother's fake, the bouncer must have recognized him and took pity on his younger, albeit more attractive little brother."

Jesse raised an eyebrow and gave the said younger brother an obvious once over before turning to face the beautiful stranger completely.

"Nah, I think it was the eyes. I don't think they've ever been said no to."

Kurt winked at the stranger with a smirk on his face and scooted one seat over to extend his hand to the guy with the beautiful smile.

"I'm introducing myself so you don't start calling me kid or something. Kurt."

Kurt immediately thought of Blaine at that moment and how the kid thing had grown on him, even if he would never let Blaine know that. He was pulled back into the conversation at the laugh from the stranger who was no longer a stranger as he introduced himself as Jesse.

Just as Jesse released Kurt's hand from a slightly too long hand shake, he heard Quinn arguing with Noah as they walked in and Kurt stuck up his hand and waved at his friends.

Noah waved back at Kurt, wiggling his eyebrows as he took in the way that the guy sitting next to him was looking at Kurt. Noah's grin froze on his face when Quinn pinched his side enough to make him yelp, making him look away from Kurt effectively.

"The hell, Quinn?"

Quinn bit her lip and shook her head as she typed at her phone furiously, ignoring Noah's question for the time being. Barely a minute later, a pissed off looking Sebastian made his way over their table, throwing a scowl at Kurt's way and okay Noah was starting to get angry.

"Somebody tell me what's with you guys. Now."

Sebastian looked up from Quinn's phone and rolled his eyes as if not knowing why they were acting like they got their panties in a bunch was Noah's fault.

"The guy Kurt's talking to is Blaine's ex."

Noah did a double take looking from Sebastian to Kurt and the guy who must have made a joke because Kurt was laughing and then back to Sebastian. He schooled his features into a serious expression.

"Kurt doesn't know that, he can't. He wouldn't talk to the guy if he knew, he has loyalty. I know my best friend."

Sebastian rolled his eyes like he didn't care what Noah was saying and then kept his eyes glued to the entrance of the bar while Quinn kept her eyes glued on Kurt hoping he would catch on to her warning glares.

Quinn had texted Santana to catch Blaine at the door and distract him but from the "What the fuck Santana?" he heard as the door opened, she wasn't very successful.

Blaine gave Santana one last "Are you out of your mind?" look before pushing her out of his way and dragging her to their table by the window with him. From the way Santana was trying to block Blaine's sight, he thought there was some kind of surprise going on and maybe Jamie was there even if it wasn't his birthday or anything but what met him at the table instead was the same faces he'd been seeing almost every day for the past five years, minus Jamie. And Kurt.

"What? There's no cake?"

He laughed when Quinn gave him a questioning look in return and took the chair next to hers, draping his jacket over it.

"You know I could have settled for eve-"

Blaine was trying to catch Toby's attention over the bar. It wasn't even intentional the way his eyes lingered on some tousled hair guy that was looking awfully like Kurt. What made the words stick in his throat though was the other guy sitting next to Kurt. So that was his surprise. Jesse.

Blaine swallowed thickly and willed his eyes to look away from the freckled face he once loved to stare at for hours. He returned his gaze to Sebastian instead, heart sinking at the miserable look on his face.

"What.. What's he doing here?"

Sebastian bit his lip and shrugged as Quinn pushed her beer towards Blaine.

"I dunno man, he was there when we got here. Some fucking nerve he has showing his face here, one call to my uncle and we can make sure that never happens again."

Noah could feel the tension at the table and noticed the looks everyone at the table were giving each other. There were obviously a lot of things Noah didn't know, and obviously Kurt didn't know as well. Kurt was his bro on top of everything and he didn't want him getting in the middle of something he didn't know he was in the middle of. Noah could see how important Blaine was to Kurt even if Kurt wouldn't admit it and maybe didn't even know himself. He spoke up, in hopes of at least getting Kurt out of the cross fire.

"Kurt got here before any of us, so he was just waiting at the bar. He doesn't know... he wouldn't if he…"

Noah was officially shut up by a slap to the back of the head from Quinn so he just took out his phone to send a "get the fuck over here" text to Kurt. Quinn smiled a sad smile at Blaine rubbing his shoulder.

"Blaine, we can go somewhere else."

Blaine ignored the lump in his throat when he saw that the guy wasn't just looking like Kurt, but actually was him and shook his head at Quinn before getting up from his chair.

"Get rid of him."

He whispered in Sebastian's ear, eyes cold when they met Jesse's over Sebastian's shoulder before disappearing into the bathroom. He just couldn't believe it. He thought he was done hurting over Jesse. He thought he finally got him out of his system. And what the fuck was Kurt doing, sitting next to him, laughing with him like he was the funniest person in the world. He so wasn't. Blaine would know.

Kurt felt his phone buzz in his pocket so he pulled it out as Jesse continued to tell him about when he pledged a fraternity. He was greeted with an all caps text from Noah telling him to get his ass over to where all of his friends had gathered. When he looked over his shoulder at the group, Noah was motioning with his head like he had a neck spasm and Quinn was giving him a look that was quite the opposite of the cheery demeanor he was used to. Something was wrong. He gave Jesse an apologetic smile before interrupting his story.

"It was very nice talking with you Jessie, but my friends just got here and they are waiting for me. I have to go"

Jesse rolled his eyes and nodded.

"Yeah. I Figured."

Kurt gave Jesse a confused look and grabbed his drink from the bar, only to be stopped by Jesse's hand on his arm.

"How about giving me your number before you leave?"

Kurt grabbed his bag off the floor and looked at Jesse with a surprised look on his face, not expecting to get hit on.

"I um, I have a boyfriend. I'm sorry. Take it easy, Jesse."

Kurt didn't let Jesse respond before turning around, passing Sebastian as he made his way to up to the bar where Kurt was just at. Kurt got back to the table and raised his eyes at Noah in question.

"What's up guys?"

Noah shrugged and looked away when Kurt gave him a questioning look, kicking Quinn's foot under the table lightly.

"How do you know that guy, Kurt?"

Quinn asked, her voice soft but her expression far from her usual cheerful self.

"It's just.. Blaine and he had a thing is all."

Santana quipped, looking anywhere but Quinn's face.

"They had a thing?"

Quinn scowled. It was an odd thing to see on her usually serene face.

"I've never seen two people so into each other. Blaine was in love. It almost ruined him."

Quinn's gaze softened at the look on Kurt's face then, the corner of his lips turned downwards, his lower lip caught between his teeth and his always so bright eyes lacking that beautiful light.

"It isn't my place to say why it didn't work out but Blaine wasn't ready to see him, Kurt. He wasn't ready at all."

Kurt spun around just in enough time to see Sebastian talking with his arms crossed to Jesse, crowding his space until he got up from the bar and walked towards the door with what it sounded like a "fuck you" to Sebastian. Kurt looked back at Quinn with a frown, shaking his head.

"I didn't know. I swear I didn't know. Blaine and I argue sometimes but I would never even talk to one of his exs."

Kurt bit his lip as he vaguely recalled talking to his brother a while back and how worried he sounded because his best friend had went through a massive breakup; he even canceled his trip to Chicago for some "bro time", which Kurt was pissed about for months. Kurt's eyes darted around the bar in search of Blaine while Sebastian continued to grumble about what an asshole Jesse was and how badly he wanted to punch him off the bar stool. He interrupted Sebastian's rant without even knowing what he was going on about.

"Where's Blaine? Did he leave? Is he okay? I should find him."

Quinn pulled Sebastian down next to her and placed a kiss at the top of his hair while shaking her head at Kurt, reaching out to take his hand in his on the table.

"It's okay, precious. Let's just give him some time. He'll be alright."

Blaine ran his wet hands through his curls and took a good look at himself in the mirror. He was still looking a little pale but at least he wasn't feeling like he was ready to burst into flames at any minute. His eyes landed on their table almost automatically as he stepped out of the bathroom, exhaling loudly when he caught eyes with Kurt. He gave him a half smile and started for the bar. No sight of him. He let out a sigh of relief as he hopped on the bar stool, ordering a Jack and coke and downing it in one big gulp before asking Toby for a second. He was already feeling better.

Kurt watched Blaine down his drink at the bar and immediately order another one. Blaine was passed his get completely-wasted-as-quickly-as-possible phase so Kurt knew he wasn't okay. Sebastian stood up at the same time Kurt did and Kurt put his hand on Sebastian's shoulder, gently pushing him back down in his seat.

"Let me."

Kurt walked up to the bar and stood next to Blaine and handed his empty glass to Toby.

"I'll have what he's having."

When Blaine looked over at Kurt in mid eye roll Kurt just waggled his eyebrows at Blaine, eliciting a chuckle and a small smile. Kurt felt like some of the tension he was unknowingly holding in release when Blaine smiled, and he really hoped Blaine felt it too. The world was a much better place when Blaine Anderson was smiling.

Blaine appreciated that Kurt didn't try to ask anything, not even an "Are you okay?" He probably knew the reason why the guy he had been talking to wasn't there anymore and Blaine would have hated himself for letting Kurt see him in a vulnerable state but for some reason he found he was kind of breathing better when Kurt was acting like nothing happened, like he would say something silly and Blaine would roll his eyes, still in the habit of acting like everything that left Kurt's lips was annoying instead of endearing and boom everything was like the way it used to be.

Blaine wanted to ask Kurt so many questions though. Like why was he talking to him?. What was he talking to him about?. Did he like his lopsided smile as much as Blaine once did? Did he feel like he was the most beautiful thing in the world because he was looking at him in certain way? But he didn't. He wasn't sure with whom he would have been more upset if the answers were yes. He ordered another Jack and coke instead, enjoying the warm buzz already coursing through his veins.

Kurt nudged Blaine with his shoulder, effectively taking away any space that was between them and clinked his glass with Blaine's half empty glass.

"Don't drink so fast; you need to give me a ride home after this."

Blaine smirked at Kurt's unspoken enthusiasm for the bike ride, feeling almost proud of himself for turning Kurt into an adrenalin junkie but shrugged when Kurt gave him his I'm serious look. He curled his fingers around Kurt's wrist just when he raised his glass to his mouth and brought it to his lips instead, feeling the burn of rum in his throat as he took a big sip. He grinned at the way Kurt's lips parted; his mouth falling open as he watched Blaine steal his drink scandalized and licked his lips lazily.

"Sorry, we'll just have to catch a cab this time."

Kurt tried to hide his disappointment when Blaine mentioned a cab; he would have to think for other excuses to get to ride his bike but tonight wasn't about Kurt, it was about taking Blaine's mind off whatever that asshole did to him in the past. Kurt placed his lips on the same place Blaine's had just been on his glass and took the last sip before smirking at Blaine and setting it on the bar. Just then Maroon 5's, "Animal" came on over the sound system and Kurt's smirk got bigger. He waved off the bartender when Blaine ordered another round and dismissed Blaine's "what the fuck" look and grabbed his hand, giving him his best puppy dog eyes.

"I love this song. Dance with me?"

Blaine let out a silent groan and gave Kurt a derisive, doubtful look, interlocking their fingers on his thigh without even noticing. He was feeling sleepy and warm and what he needed was another glass of something that would make him forget about his night but there Kurt was, looking at Blaine with his baby deer eyes that for some reason Blaine didn't seem to be able to say no. So he gave Kurt's fingers a squeeze and stood up, rolling his eyes when Kurt's smile got ten times bigger. He was on his way to being wasted already. Kurt didn't really need to smile that dazzling smile.

It was awkward at first. Blaine was too aware of everything; the way Quinn kept sending worried looks their way, the ground-shaking bass making everything blurrier, Kurt's hands on his chest, not pushing, just resting there, their legs brushing against each other as they moved, swayed, shook hips. The way he didn't know what to do with his hands as Kurt moved closer. He felt like his skin was too tight. Like there wasn't enough air in the room for him to breathe. But then Kurt leant in, just slightly but firm, his hand on Blaine's chest curling around his shoulder, fingers pressing into Blaine's skin through the fabric of his shirt. His lips hovered over his ear for a while before Blaine heard a soft "I'm sorry." escape Kurt's lips. Blaine stopped fidgeting then, his eyes sharp and calculating as they rested on Kurt's. He didn't know why he was still angry. He didn't know why he was angry with Kurt in the first place. And he didn't know why he needed to hear him say sorry so much but he did. He was still mad, hurt, tired, disappointed, mostly with himself, but with Kurt by side, looking at him with beautiful, blue eyes with a simple, sincere apology on his lips, he somehow felt better.

"It's okay."

They were dancing slow. Too slow for the song but for some reason it seemed just right. Just right, with Blaine's hand slowly moving around his waist, settling his head between his neck and his shoulder. Too right for Kurt to think about the millions reasons why it was so wrong for him to feel that way. It also felt good that Blaine forgave him, not because he felt like he did something wrong but because he felt like he betrayed Blaine in a way and it was kind of surprising to Kurt how much he cared about upsetting him. He moved closer to Blaine's ear, as close as he could get without actually touching his lips to it.

"I'm glad I met him though. Just so I could tell you that you deserve way better than that."

Kurt interlocked his fingers behind Blaine's head.

"I wished I had known though, because I would have punched him in his throat."

Blaine let his lips curl into a small smile, pressing his chin deeper into the crook of Kurt's neck as if to hide the fact that he was actually smiling, about something that made him miserable just minutes ago. Once he was sure his lips wouldn't betray him, he pulled his head back slightly, searching Kurt's face for something he didn't even know what. Kurt had really long eyelashes. Blaine could see the shadow they created over Kurt's cheeks whenever Kurt blinked. And woah. Since when did Blaine cared about a guy's eyelashes?

_Baby I'm praying on you tonight_

Now that Blaine was letting himself look, Kurt was really beautiful. Like when he would stare you in the face, like he was doing now, he would hit you like a windstorm. Blaine's head was spinning.

_Hunt you down eat you alive_

There was a little voice in the back of Blaine's head that whispered that this was not okay, that nothing good could come out of this.

_Just like animals, animals, like animals-mals _

Blaine grabbed Kurt's side tight and turned him around in his hold, arms wrapped around Kurt's waist, his back pressed against Blaine's chest. Kurt's face was making him think stupid things.

Kurt didn't realize his breath was stuck in his throat until he was able to release it when Blaine turned him around. As he pushed his ass back into Blaine instinctively, he caught Noah watching them from behind his beer, giving him full on heart eyes and making the heart symbol with his fingers. Kurt shook his head and went back to loosing himself in dancing with Blaine. He knew it would be over soon. Just like in his room that one afternoon and he desperately wished he held the music controls so he could push rewind.

Blaine's fingers were touching Kurt's bare skin from where his shirt ridden up, probably pressing into some of the black birds when he moved them. Despite the familiar alcohol buzz spreading all through his body, making him all loose and carefree, he was still aware of how much he was holding himself back, how vehemently he was reminding himself that the body he was holding in his arms wasn't his, not even for the night, and therefore not okay to get ideas about the proximity of their bodies, about the effortless way they seemed to move together, about the fact that one song turned into two, three and Kurt still didn't untangle himself from Blaine, eyes closed, still dancing the night away.

He was almost relieved when Sebastian danced his way over them, Santana and Quinn trailing behind and stepped between them just when Kurt threw his head back. They created a small circle later, Sebastian giving him Blaine questioning looks as he hooked his arms around Blaine's neck, Kurt sandwiched between Quinn and Santana, racing their hips to the beat.

"It's okay, Blaine."

Sebastian spoke in his ear, uncharacteristically serious but understanding, though Blaine had no idea what it was that was okay. Maybe he meant he successfully got rid of Him and letting Blaine know that it was okay. Who knew with Sebastian? He still nodded anyway. Thinking was hurting his brain at that moment.

They all danced like that for the rest of the night, groups breaking off here and there to take a break or grab a drink. Kurt stayed in his Quinntana sandwich most of the night, catching Blaine's eyes over Sebastian's shoulder in quick glances. He just wanted to make sure he was okay. He still didn't know the whole story about what happened with Jesse but by everyone's reactions he knew that jerk really fucked with Blaine and tonight could have been a lot worse. But with Blaine laughing with Sebastian and even joking with Noah, Kurt felt like he could breathe knowing Blaine was okay. That was what his job was, right? He was supposed to take care of Blaine; this was what his brother would want, right?

After everyone was effectively exhausted from the dancing and drinking, Quinn ushered them out of the bar making sure everyone had rides who needed them. With a quick kiss to Santana's lips that they didn't even tried to hide, Quinn pushed Blaine and Kurt into the backseat of her BMW while Noah got into the passenger seat. Kurt didn't have the energy to scoot to the other side of the car when Blaine got in, even when Blaine tried but not really tried to push him over. He just let Blaine squeeze in right next to him, pressed against his side.

"Noooo Blaine, I'm tired. Don't make me move."

Blaine knew that the moment he stopped fidgeting and let Kurt put his head on his chest, he was going to have to carry a sleeping Kurt to his room but he didn't have it in himself to push him away when he scooted closer, like the little kitten he was, letting out content sighs that sounded like purrs when he finally got himself comfortable.

Blaine told Noah no when he asked if he needed any help when Quinn pulled into their driveway, partly because he was fully capable of carrying Kurt himself and mostly because he kind of felt like it was his job, not Noah's, to take care of Kurt when he couldn't himself.

He thanked Quinn for the ride, giving her a tired smile when she held his gaze for a little too long, her way of making sure Blaine was really okay, and got out of the car himself first. Then he leant forward, slid one hand beneath Kurt's shoulders and propped him up a bit, his free hand under his knees and lifted him, his head dropping to Blaine's shoulder almost immediately. Considering the slightly intoxicated state he was in, he managed to carry Kurt into the house, then to his room successfully. That was until his foot tangled with Kurt's sneakers and he bumped into Kurt's table, Kurt still securely wrapped up in his arms, but Blaine could see his eyelashes fluttering open.

Kurt slowly opened his eyes, not completely aware where he was at the moment, but when his eyes were able to focus he saw Blaine looking at him with a soft but worried smile on his face. Kurt suddenly became completely aware that his arms were wrapped loosely around his neck and Blaine's strong arms were still holding him tightly. With his head resting on Blaine's shoulder, he was almost too comfy to want to move, the idea of falling back asleep in Blaine's arms was tempting but not at all appropriate. Kurt smiled a sleepy smile and then dropped his legs, his body feeling heavy when his feet hit the ground, his arms were the last thing to become untangled from Blaine and if it took him a little too long to do so, he would blame it on how tired he was.

Kurt kicked off his shoes, wobbling just enough for Blaine to grab his waist to stabilize him. Blaine was usually pretty quick to leave his room, maybe because it wasn't Jamie's anymore, maybe because him and Kurt weren't that close yet but tonight Blaine lingered which made Kurt think he wanted to talk. As Kurt grabbed his sleeping shirt and some basketball shorts to change into, he talked to Blaine on the way to the bathroom, making sure to leave the door open so he could hear Blaine's response.

"So… I've never seen anything affect you like tonight did. Want to tell me what happened to this jerk face Jesse guy?

Blaine rubbed his fingers over his eyes and let out a tired sigh, a small smile gracing his lips at the nickname Kurt used for him. He knew he could just pretend not to hear what Kurt asked and leave the room any moment but for some reason he flopped down on the floor, his back against Kurt's bed, his face between his hands.

"How do you know something happened?"

What Blaine was trying to ask how much he knew, what he really heard but he felt weird suddenly thinking about things he hadn't for so long, remembering things he thought he already forgot and he was just buying himself some time.

Kurt changed and walked out of the bathroom, giving Blaine a look to tell him it was kind of obvious something happened between him and Jesse but he was on the verge of actually having a deep conversation with Blaine so he didn't want to scare him off with sarcasm. So Kurt just shrugged and walked over, sitting on the edge of his bed.

"I dunno. I didn't even know who he was until I made it back to the table and then Quinn and Bas mentioned he was your ex. Plus I could tell something was bothering you. I know you better than you think Blaine."

Blaine raised an eyebrow at that but didn't say anything to object, kicking his shoes off as he stretched comfortably on the floor. He missed this. Being in this room, not because he had to but because he wanted to.

He shrugged when he realized he still hadn't answered Kurt's question, worrying his lower lip between his teeth before he spoke.

"It was nice at first, you know. Butterflies in the stomach, extra sway in my hips kind of nice. Jamie used to tease me about it. But I knew he was happy for me. And I was too. I had never been before..You know... Happy because the person I loved was loving me back."

He licked his lips, the only other sound except from his own voice was the soft hums of Kurt and the faint sounds of cars passing through the main street.

"Then, all of a sudden, without any warning whatsoever, it stopped feeling nice. I think that's what haunts people most. That it always happens when you least expect it."

He draped an arm over Kurt's bed, turning slightly so he could see his face.

"You know the worst thing you can do to a person is make them feel like they're hard to love. I-I didn't think.. I mean He was just-"

Blaine stopped talking mid-sentence, his eyes sharp as he kept Kurt's gaze.

"Do you love Adam, Kurt?"

Kurt bit his lip at that question. He had been struggling with that same question in his head for a while. With the constant fighting and reassuring each other the thought came across his mind a lot, was that what falling out of love felt like?

Kurt sighed and sunk down to the floor shoulder to shoulder with Blaine and looked down at his hands.

"I uh... I think I... yes. I mean why would I do this long distance crap if I didn't right?

The look Blaine was giving him was honest, because Kurt knew how it sounded. It sounded like Kurt was trying to force himself to believe it, not Blaine. He didn't want to make this about him though so he tried to refocus the subject.

"Loving a person isn't hard Blaine. It's all the other crap that's hard. So if he... If he made you feel like loving _you_ was the problem then I was right, I should have punched him in the throat."

Blaine shook his head and grabbed Kurt's hand that was resting on his thigh, making him look at him, his face still serious as they locked eyes.

"That question I asked you? The answer is never I think, Kurt. It's either yes or no."

He squeezed Kurt's hand, wanting to make sure he got what he was saying; because it was important to Blaine he understood it.

"You don't know how much it sucks when your answer is "yes, of course" and his is "yeah I think"."

He took a deep breath, missing his eyes from Kurt's intense stare. Even though he had two layers on him, he felt naked under that stare.

"I was still very much in love with him... with Jesse when he stopped. I didn't know that then. I thought everything was perfect between us. But then, every single thing I did started to get too annoying to him. I was being too possessive if I told him I didn't like the way he was dancing with that guy at the club, too controlling if I wanted to know why he cancelled our date, too suffocating because I loved to cuddle after sex. The more he tried to push me away, the more I panicked. Because who wouldn't, right? I thought I couldn't live without him then. Stupid."

He felt Kurt squeeze his fingers in protest and rubbed his thumb over the inside of his wrist in return, wetting his lips with his tongue before he continued.

"I've never resented him for falling out of love with me. You can't control the way people feel about you. But I pretty much hate him for making me try for nothing, for not being honest with me and ending it before I got even more invested, for making me feel like I was doing something wrong for caring for him, loving him, for treating me like I was his backup plan, for taking me for granted. For moving on like what he had was nothing to him while I was dying inside every day. Because that's what I do, you know? I'm kind of intense when it comes to feelings."

He didn't think he had ever said these things to anyone before. Not even to Jamie. Maybe because he already knew everything Blaine was going through. But still, here he was, pouring his heart to Kurt and not feeling embarrassed about it in the slightest.

"You probably think I'm pathetic, letting some guy treat me like trash. But that isn't the point. The point is there are worse things than being cheated on and that's being silent about your nonexistent feelings when the other person is screaming his love for you. That's just destruction in the making."

Kurt tightened his grip on Blaine's hand after he finished speaking, it probably should have felt weird holding Blaine's hand like this, but it didn't, not in the slightest. He could see the hurt still present in Blaine's eyes and he felt the guilt rising in his chest. Was he treating Adam like that? He hoped not, it just felt like they were growing apart from each other and Kurt didn't know what to do about it. He sat in silence, thinking about everything Blaine had told him, still holding his hand. Eventually he looked back into Blaine's eyes which were still watching him.

"You're not pathetic, not in the least. He's the pathetic one for treating you like that, leading you on, watching you hurt and not doing anything about it. You didn't deserve that. And he didn't deserve even a second of my time. Blaine, you have to know I would have never even looked his way if I had known."

Kurt untangled his fingers from around Blaine's hand and just rested his hand on top of Blaine's hand resting on his thigh.

"And I get what you are saying Blaine. I really do. I feel like somehow this turned into you giving me advice instead of me trying to make you feel better. How did that happen?"

Blaine chuckled at the genuine confusion in Kurt's voice and shrugged, a teasing smirk playing around his lips.

"I would bring up the fact you're lacking experience because..."

He enjoyed the way Kurt narrowed his eyes immediately, looking back at Blaine expectantly. Blaine leant forward slightly, covering the corner of his mouth as if he was revealing some top secret information as he whispered in Kurt's ear.

"_Kid_, you know..."

He pulled his head back, biting his lip to keep himself from smiling.

"But you're kind of being nice to me so I'll let it pass this time."

Kurt playfully pushed Blaine in the shoulder, kind of hating that he now found "kid" as a term of endearment rather than an insult. But he rolled his eyes because that was what he did pretty much the majority of time him and Blaine talked.

"Oh I'm sure I could still teach you a few things."

Kurt returned Blaine's smirk and stood up extending his hand out to Blaine pulling him to stand.

Blaine took Kurt's hand and let him to pull him to his feet; grabbing Kurt's bicep to steady himself as their chest collided, letting his hand caress down Kurt's entire arm before he stepped back. He would have asked for a hug if Jamie was here. He wouldn't even have had to. Instead, he just smiled a genuine thankful smile and nodded like they reached to an understanding.

"Good night, Kurt."

Kurt pursed his lips together and whispered softer than he meant to as he watched Blaine cross through the bathroom into his room.

"Night, Blaine."

Xxx

Kurt didn't know what he was hoping for after his and Blaine's heart to heart in his room after the bar, maybe that they had finally broken down the invisible wall between them or maybe just that Blaine would start viewing him as a friend rather than his friend's baby brother. Nothing changed. Well, nothing changed between them. They still gave each other shit pretty much at every opportunity, Kurt's eye's still were tired from all the eye rolls and their constant bickering that for some really odd reason was now more charming than annoying continued like clockwork. What did change was apparently the competition Blaine was having with himself on how many randoms he could hook up with in a week.

Kurt had heard Blaine bring a guy home maybe two or three times while he had been living there and every time Blaine made it clear that Kurt needed to make himself invisible or at least seem that way. And that was fine, was he bitter that he hadn't had sex for two months? Maybe. But looking how Blaine looked, he knew that him having visitors was inevitable. But ever since the night where they ran into Jesse, it was like Blaine had a new guy every night, even a couple afternoons thrown in for good measure.

After the fourth day of seeing Blaine's conquests from the night do the walk of shame out their front door the next morning, Kurt decided to ask Blaine what was up, thinking that this was what friends would do but Blaine just blew it off. Like this was normal behavior, like he always acted like that. But he bit his lip after he told Kurt that he was just jealous of all the hot sex he was having which meant that there was something he wasn't saying. Blaine seemed to do that when he was holding back something he really wanted to say.

He first caught on to it when Quinn was adamantly denying that there was in fact a her and Santana and Blaine started to speak then chewed on his lip and told her that he believed her as long as she was happy. But on the car ride back he continued to tell Kurt how he couldn't believe Quinn at all. Now that he was now aware of that fact, he noticed that he did it a lot around Kurt, probably to keep back the really sarcastic comments but still.

The next night Blaine didn't come home at all. Kurt got no sleep that night. He now knew how Blaine felt when he ignored Blaine's texts. He was prepared to pepper Blaine with questions the second Blaine walked into the door, but he came in the next morning looking like shit, completely hangover so Kurt just gave him a cup of coffee and sent him to bed.

A week and a half of this and Kurt was a multitude of emotions; he was pissed that Blaine couldn't give a fuck about how he felt having strangers in the house constantly, he was worried because this so wasn't Blaine and he was jealous. That emotion took Kurt off guard, but with everyone having sex around him and him not being able to was enough to justify it. He wanted to call Jamie or tell Quinn about Blaine's change in behavior but it really wasn't any of their business including Kurt's, but Kurt just had to deal with it because he was his roommate and because he made a promise to Jamie.

It was 1am on a Thursday when Kurt resolved to go to bed after deciding that Blaine wasn't coming home once again. At around 3 something startled Kurt awake and when he couldn't figure out what it was he made his way down the stairs and into the kitchen for some water. He heard some whispers coming from the family room and crossed his arms and moved towards the door way scoffing at the fact he had to deal with this so early in the morning.

Blaine sank his teeth into the guy's neck, making a shushing sound but the guy that he had his hands on didn't seem to be able to stop making sounds as long as Blaine kept his lips attached to his neck. Which was kind of hot actually but Blaine, even in his drunk out of his mind state, remembered he wasn't living alone and was about to pull back and tell him to keep it down when the guy pressed their hips together, making Blaine gasp at the heavenly friction.

He didn't even know when he- was it a him?- took off his shirt after that but here Blaine was standing in his half naked glory. Blaine really knew how to pick them. Pale skin, broad shoulders, tiny little waist. He didn't waste a second reattaching his lips to the guy's neck, his hand tracing the line from his shoulder to his neck, his grip strong. Maybe this time it was the right one. Maybe this time Blaine was finally going to be able to get rid of this itch under his skin that had been driving him crazy since the night at The Vine.

His head jerked up at the sound of a gasp, this time softer and more surprised so unlike the guy's shameless, satisfied groans. He dug his fingernails deeper into the flesh of the man when he saw that his guess was correct and some sick part of his brain was pretty pleased with the fact that Kurt was standing there, almost ten feet away from them, his gaze trailing down Blaine's arm to where he was framing the guy's hips, the pads of his fingers resting on the swell of his ass. Blaine kept his lips pressed to the joint between the guy's shoulder and neck when Kurt's gaze trailed upwards, taking in the broad shoulders of the stranger before his eyes met Blaine's dark ones. Blaine inhaled sharply and felt like he was harder than he had been all night. He expected Kurt to run away as soon as he saw what Blaine was up to, but Kurt was still standing there, his eyes boring into Blaine's and Blaine could almost feel the cracking intensity of the moment.

The guy didn't seem to notice the change in Blaine's breathing, heavier and sharper, or maybe he did and thought he was the reason but Blaine was still staring right at Kurt when his lips mouthed along a collarbone, he didn't look away when his hand reached down, his fingers slipping inside the guy's jeans, the way Kurt's eyes got darker when his gaze dropped to Blaine's hands, making Blaine's breath catch in his throat.

Kurt watched as Blaine's hand slid under the waistband of the guy's jeans, he watched how the guy responded immediately and arched his body into Blaine's. He watched when the guy pulled back, seemingly to find Blaine's lips and he watched Blaine not give him what he wanted and kiss along the column of his neck instead, which from the sounds the guy was making, he didn't seem to mind. And Kurt watched Blaine's eyes, the eyes that never left his, the eyes that he should be desperately avoiding right now but couldn't. Blaine walked the guy backwards into the living room, closer to the kitchen where Kurt was leaning against the wall and in that moment Kurt almost left, because now things were too close but Blaine's dark, blown out pupils were still on his, which rendered Kurt immobile.

Blaine pushed the guy rather roughly in the chair that had its back facing the kitchen at the same time the guy tore Blaine's shirt off. From Kurt's viewpoint, he could see the muscles in Blaine's back flex as his mouth roamed they guy's chest and shoulders and Kurt couldn't help lick his lips involuntarily and then bite his bottom one when Blaine refocused his eyes back to him. He couldn't even deny he was turned on, how could he not be? He was basically watching soft core porn in his living room and the leading star wouldn't take his eyes off of him. There were a thousand lines being crossed right then but that was for Kurt to worry about tomorrow, right now Blaine had him in some weird trance that he couldn't break.

Blaine didn't remember the last time he was this turned on, like he could feel himself leaking in his pants as the guy pressed his whole body into Blaine's, Kurt hooded eyes following Blaine's every movement with utmost attention, mouth slightly open, face flushed. He was the hottest thing Blaine had ever laid his eyes on. He was looking at Blaine in a way that felt like he was the one touching him instead, his fingernails scratching all over his back not the guy's whose name Blaine didn't care to remember. Blaine didn't know how he did that. With just one look. He didn't know how he did that _to him_ but the crack that was split open the night at The Vine was growing even bigger because Blaine wasn't even denying to himself how much he wanted that to really happen.

"God, you look so good like this..."

The words were spoken into the crook of the guy's neck but Blaine's eyes didn't leave Kurt's, not even for a second.

Kurt was surprised at how easy it was for him to forget that the other guy was there, that it wasn't just him and Blaine and that thought in itself was very scary but he couldn't bring himself to care when Blaine's tongue was darting out of his mouth and his eyes were barring into his soul. When Blaine spoke to him, let's face it they both knew who he was talking to, Kurt let out a shuttered breath. Blaine's words radiated over Kurt's body, creating goose bumps all over. Kurt trailed his fingers down his arm, almost imagining it was Blaine's hand when he knocked over his empty water cup on the counter. The sound was deafening in that heated silence and Kurt's eyes went wide and met Blaine's equally wide eyes. It was like somebody had just turned on all the lights and said the party was over. Kurt heard the guy underneath Blaine ask what that was, Blaine held Kurt's stare for a few more seconds more before whispering, "It was nothing" into the guy's already bruised neck. _Nothing_. Kurt took that opportunity to run back upstairs to his room and shut the door.

He immediately grabbed his head phones, put them on and cranked his iPod up as he fell into bed. He didn't want to hear anything further; he didn't want to think about what had just happened. He didn't want to close his eyes because when he did all he saw were Blaine's staring back at him.

Blaine was still coming down from his high when the guy stood him up and pushed him up against the very wall Kurt had been leaning against seconds ago, trying to climb him like a tree. Only now Blaine wasn't enjoying his hands and mouth on him as much as he seemed to not long ago. It was so, so fucked up but Blaine still couldn't get the way Kurt's eyes set his heart racing, his blood thundering through his veins until he felt like he was burning up from the inside out. How did that happen? And why did Blaine like it so much? God, he was a fucking mess.

He didn't even pretend to look apologetic when he kicked the guy out of the house, not even waiting for him to put on his shoes. It was probably a very assholish thing to do, considering the size of the guy's boner but it was literally the last thing Blaine wanted to deal with when his mind was running a mile a minute. He sank to the couch and took his head between his hands. There was no way he could face Kurt tonight. Or not any time soon. Not until he got a hold of what was going on with him. Not until he felt like he could look him in the eye and not hate himself for the thoughts that were crossing his mind.

To Bas: Can I crash at yours?


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

_"You smile, and it's like sunrise. Something inside me wakes up, stretching."_

—_B. Pavlik, Literary Sexts, Volume I_

Blaine was warm and sleepy and very, very thirsty—which was probably why it took him so long to finally understand that no matter how far he blindly reached out, he wasn't going to find a glass of water on his bedside drawer because he wasn't in his own room; he was on Sebastian's uncomfortable couch that was too short even for his compact body. He opened his eyes with a groan, a vague sense of something-not-right nagging his cloudy mind, pulling him to the surface. It took a couple minutes to register where he was and why he was there and…shit. What got into him last night?

He rubbed his knuckles over his eyes and sank back into the couch, hiding his face under the pillow and letting out another groan when he remembered he had a Skype date with Jamie later that day. There was no way Jamie would take a look at his face and not suspect something was wrong, and there was no way Blaine would be able to lie to him if he asked.

He needed to take a shower stat, have some coffee, deal with Sebastian, and find an excuse to cancel the Skype date. But more than that, he needed to get a grip and get over whatever the fuck was going on with him. Kurt was just a _kid_ for god's sake!

xxx

Kurt woke from a restless night's sleep—a night filled with flashes of Adam's face mixed with flashes of Jamie—both looking betrayed—and then those eyes, Blaine's eyes, burning a hole right through his soul. He didn't dare leave his room that night, for fear of walking in on something more with Blaine and that guy or, even worse, running into Blaine alone. He knew he couldn't avoid Blaine forever, but he stayed in his bed until the morning sun beating in his window got too hot. He was stalling, trying to wrap his head around what had happened, to come up with an excuse, mostly for himself, as to why he stayed when there were so many reasons for him not to. He didn't come up with much, nothing that really justified his behavior, anyway.

Kurt finally got up the courage to make the trip downstairs, to face Blaine and whatever that entailed, but the house seemed strangely quiet when he finally left his room. The door to Blaine's room was still shut, and Kurt hoped he was just sleeping off his hangover—alone. Kurt made it to the kitchen and put a pot of coffee on as if everything was normal. As Kurt averted his eyes from the chair Blaine was in last night, he wondered if they would ever be able to really go back to "normal."

xxx

To Blaine: So we need to get a one-cup coffee maker. I made a whole pot because I thought you were home. You're not :( so now I have to drink it all myself. Bad news.

To Kurt: Maybe that way you can sit through a movie without falling asleep on me.

To Kurt: Or just without falling asleep really.

To Blaine: After a whole pot of coffee I can't sit through anything. I'm going to have to dance it off before I can start studying. Don't be jealous that you're not here for that. :p

To Kurt: Because I'm not there for you to bite my head off to help you relieve your stress? Oh yeah—just dying from jealousy here, little one.

To Blaine: No, I bite your head off because you lecture me like I'm a five year old. My stress reliever is dancing, and you know how awesome my dance moves are... Yours, though, could use some work.

Kurt's like one of those songs that gets stuck in your head, and you can't get it out no matter how hard you try. And there's no "un-hear" app you can use to make yourself forget about it and replace it with a new song—or just dead air space. Sometimes having nothing going on in your mind can be a real blessing.

"It's like you're spending all your energy trying not to like the kid. He can't really be that bad," Sebastian provided, oh-so-helpfully when he saw Blaine scowling at his phone yet again. If only Sebastian knew how on point he was. Blaine just rolled his eyes in return and set his phone face down on the coffee table, leaving Kurt's last text unanswered.

xxx

To Blaine: Okay... So I could use one of those annoying lectures now. Midterms are in 3 days, and I can't concentrate. The house is too quiet.

To Kurt: Are you telling me you've missed me, babycakes?

To Blaine: Do I miss your constant nagging or the way you tell me to turn down my music or the way you criticize my study habits? Don't flatter yourself.

To Blaine: Okay... Maybe just a little bit.

To Kurt: Why don't you ask Puck to keep you company? Looks like I'll be here for a while longer. Got stuff to do with Bas.

To Blaine: Quinn has Noah on lockdown until after midterms. But yeah, okay, I'll figure out something. Maybe just more coffee. Have fun with Bas.

Kurt dropped his phone on the bed and ran his fingers through his hair that he'd hardly bothered with for the past two days. His mind just kept running in the same loop over and over, chasing all the possible reasons Blaine had left and why he wasn't coming back. Focusing on his studies seemed more and more unlikely. He should be studying for his calc midterm or memorizing his sociology notes, but he couldn't because Blaine chose to forget about what happened a couple nights ago by staying at Sebastian's, which was making it that much harder for Kurt to forget about it. A nagging text from Blaine just wasn't the same as Blaine "motivating" him in person.

xxx

After losing the fifth game to Sebastian, Blaine threw the controller across the room, wincing slightly when it landed on Sebastian's reading glasses on the coffee table. Sebastian took a deep breath and got up from the floor where they'd been camping out for the last three hours, his eyes resting on Blaine and a serious expression on his face.

"You need to get out. No, don't give me that look. Call Jamie. Get drunk. Go ride that bike of yours. But just get out of here, Blaine."

Blaine shook his head and got to his feet, scowling when he met Sebastian's eyes.

"I'll buy you new glasses."

"I don't give a fuck about the glasses. You've been here for five days and, yes, I'm fucking glad we could work on our project, but you need to remember you have a life to get back to."

Sebastian's eyes softened when he saw Blaine scrunching his face into a frown at the mention of going back.

"He isn't really your brother, you know. You don't have to fight him like he is."

Blaine gave Sebastian a puzzled look in return, his heart skipping a beat at what Sebastian might be implying. But then he remembered that the reason he'd given Sebastian for crashing at his place was that he wanted some peace of mind because Kurt was being a little shit and driving him crazy—which was true in more ways than one.

And it wasn't that he didn't want to go back home. God knew he did. It was weird waking up and not having a pot of coffee ready for him or not listening to Kurt's endearingly serious commentary while watching the news. Okay, maybe he missed Kurt just a little bit, too. But he was also a little too nervous about the possibility of things being awkward between them, and he didn't want to risk it when he still had dreams about that night and felt like shit afterwards. But Sebastian was right; he did need to go back—if for no other reason than he' made a promise to Jamie, and not being there when Kurt obviously needed him meant he was failing to keep that promise.

xxx

He made a pit stop at Cartel Coffee and picked up two large coffees and some chocolate chip cookies; after all, if Kurt was going to drink himself to death, it should at least be done with good coffee. And cookies were just his way of saying, "I do know I was an asshole, but I hope you won't mention it this time."

The house was eerily quiet when he walked in. A blanket draped over the couch, with Kurt's pillow and eye mask on top of it, and an empty mug on the coffee table were the only signs that someone was actually living there. It was only when Blaine climbed the stairs and was standing in front of Kurt's room that he could hear the faint sound of "I See Fire" coming from inside. Normally he would have just knocked halfheartedly and then barged in when he knew Kurt was studying, but this time he wasn't sure if he was allowed the same casualness. So he knocked on the door, tightened his grip on the coffee bag and tried not to freak out about the fact that he was going to have to look Kurt in the eyes for the first time after _the_ night.

Kurt was startled out of trying to make sense of his calculus homework when he heard a knock. It was Blaine's knock, a little less loud than normal, but Kurt knew who it was. However, when Blaine didn't just come in, he thought he must just be imagining things. Still, Kurt stuck his pencil behind his ear and went to his door. Blaine was standing there, looking exhausted judging by his slouched body language and disheveled appearance, but Kurt couldn't be sure because Blaine's eyes were glued to the coffee in his hands, not on Kurt. The second Kurt saw Blaine his mind flipped back to five nights earlier when they couldn't look anywhere but into each other's eyes. But that was five days ago, five long days when Blaine didn't come home. Now he was here, and Kurt didn't know what to feel.

Kurt wanted to hug him. He had this almost uncontrollable desire to jump into Blaine's arms, which was something new. Kurt realized he must've missed him more than he thought after all. So he just stood there, unable to keep the smile off his face when Blaine ventured a tiny glance at him without saying a word, and with just a slight shrug of his shoulders.

"If that isn't a nonfat mocha and double chocolate chip cookies I won't accept your apology. If it is, then you're a lifesaver because I've been living off of Folgers and stale Oreos."

Blaine couldn't help the frown that formed on his face when Kurt mentioned living off only coffee and store-bought cookies—the familiar instinct to take care of Kurt forcing his eyes to wander, giving Kurt a thorough once-over. He shook his head disapprovingly when he spotted the dark circles under Kurt's eyes and the way his sweatpants were hanging dangerously low on his hips.

"Are you trying to starve yourself? Couldn't you make some grilled cheese or at least—I don't know—peanut butter and jelly? Hell, we're basically living across from a Dominos. You know how to use a phone, right? Jesus, Kurt, I wasn't even gone fo—"

Blaine's ranting, which he only realized was ranting now that he wasn't anymore, ended abruptly when he saw the amused look on Kurt's face, his lower lip between his teeth—probably to keep himself from grinning like the idiot he was—his cheeks growing pink, and his eyes squeezing into little crescents of mirth. Blaine's lips curled into a small smile, and he ducked his head, half in embarrassment, half in surprise at how naturally he fell into the familiar easiness with Kurt the moment he saw him. His voice was uncharacteristically soft when he spoke.

"Hey."

Kurt released the grin he'd been holding back when Blaine ducked his head and smiled that uncharacteristically shy smile. Yeah, he'd definitely missed him. As he took one of the coffees, Kurt's fingertips brushed across the back of his hand, causing Blaine's head to snap up. Caught by the flecks of gold in Blaine's eyes, which seemed to have doubled since he last saw them, Kurt decided to stop overthinking everything. He threw himself into Blaine and hugged him tight.

"Hi," Kurt finally answered.

Blaine reached around Kurt's waist and started to hug him almost as if he was on autopilot. Having an armful of Kurt was the last thing he expected to happen when he came back home, but Kurt was pulling him closer and closer until Kurt was flat against him. Blaine was incapable of doing anything else but hugging him back; he wrapped his arms around Kurt more tightly, tilting his head slightly to the side as Kurt leaned in, breathing deeply into the crook of Blaine's neck.

It was weird, but it was good weird; he wanted time to stop so he could relish the moment a little more because he was feeling light on his feet, like everything that had been making him worry had disappeared from his mind. It was nice holding someone, breathing his smell in, feeling his fast-beating heart against yours. Blaine always loved his bro hugs with Jamie, and he only now realized how badly he had been in need of one. Giving good hugs obviously ran in the family because Kurt definitely was giving as good as he got, and Blaine savored the moment to the fullest.

His subconscious started to kick in after several minutes passed, and Kurt still didn't let go, his warm breath on Blaine's neck creating goose bumps on his arms. He gave Kurt's side a squeeze and untangled himself from his embrace, curling his lips into a smirk when he pulled back to meet his eyes, his voice teasing but happy. 

"Okay, okay—sorry for not being here to make you warm milk and tuck you in before you sleep. I forgot how it is with you kids." 

Kurt grabbed the bag with the cookies in it and pushed Blaine playfully in the chest before sitting on the floor by his bed. He took a long sip of the coffee, closing his eyes as the mocha flavor filled his mouth. He took a big bite of one of the cookies, smiling up at Blaine as he chewed the gooey goodness.

With his mouth still pursed as he chased the crumbs from his lips, he gave Blaine a mock glare as he declared, "You realize you've set a precedent; now every time you leave, you'll owe me cookies and coffee."

Blaine copied Kurt's movements and sat down across from him on the floor, sipping at his coffee.

"Is that so? You're talking like me leaving you alone is a bad thing..."

He quirked an eyebrow and took a bit of the cookie Kurt was holding in his hand, grinning at the way Kurt narrowed his eyes, giving Blaine his bitchiest glare.

Kurt stuffed the rest of the cookie in his mouth, giving Blaine a cocky smile.

"Well...I kind of got used to your incessant nagging, but...hey, if I get these cookies every time it's not so bad."

Kurt sassily winked at Blaine, but the returning soft smile caught him off guard, and he suddenly became way more interested in the top of his coffee cup.

Blaine drank the rest of his coffee and cleared his throat loudly because if there was something they didn't do, it was awkward silences. Blaine picked up his empty coffee cup and got up from the floor, pointing in the general direction of Kurt's messy desk as he walked towards the door.

"Okay, I'm leaving you to it so you won't blame me for distracting you if you get a C minus or something."

Kurt watched Blaine walk towards the door.

"Movie later? I could use a nap."

Blaine nodded absentmindedly and closed the door behind him, releasing the breath he felt like he'd been holding in since the moment he saw Kurt. He needed to snap out of this fucking phase or whatever it was, and he needed to do it quick. Things were going to be awkward as long as he let them, and he had no intention of letting that happen.

Blaine dug out a half-full cereal box from the back of a kitchen cupboard and reached in, digging to the bottom for the baggie that was taped there. He took the stash, sighing a bit as he mentally acknowledged that it was supposed to be kept safe until Jamie's first visit home when they would celebrate together. Knowing Jamie would understand (as long as it was replaced before then), he grabbed a lighter from the counter, walked into the living room, and sank down on the couch. Blaine flipped the channels until he found something to provide some background noise, held the joint to his lips, and flicked at the lighter with one hand. As the flame caught, he inhaled, sucking in a steady breath until the end of the joint was glowing, and a thin stream of smoke was curling up and fading into the room.

He held his breath for a while before exhaling a mouthful of smoke, feeling the high coming towards him in waves, engulfing him slowly, almost cozily. He felt warmer, lighter—and that was exactly what he needed. Kurt, doing the right thing, doing the wrong thing, school, Jamie—all of it was out of his mind, and so was stress. Blaine thought maybe this was a healthier way to relax than fucking his entire phone contact list, and less messy, too.

Kurt rubbed eyes that had been staring at his computer screen for far too long. Still, since Blaine had finally come home and things felt okay between them, he felt he could finally concentrate better and, after a couple hours of studying he felt like he wasn't completely hopeless. He walked downstairs, telling himself he just needed a break—he definitely wasn't looking for Blaine, of course—when a distinct smell caught in his nose; he looked around for the party he apparently hadn't been invited to when he noticed Blaine sitting alone on the couch. Kurt walked slowly in front of the couch, looking at Blaine curiously as their eyes met.

"So…uh, having a relaxing day are we?"

Blaine cracked open his eyes and raised an eyebrow at Kurt, smiling lazily when Kurt blushed, eyes darting away in embarrassment at being caught staring. It was adorable. Blaine grinned.

"Done with studying? Are you smarter now?" Blaine asked, voice low and words slurring a bit.

Kurt laughed under his breath. He'd never seen Blaine so relaxed, with his guard down like it was now, like he didn't have a million worries running through his head the way he usually did. Kurt thought back—maybe a couple times with Jamie here—but Blaine's demeanor always changed as soon as Kurt came into the picture; so this was a nice change of pace. Kurt couldn't help but smile when Blaine grinned at him in that lazy way as he sat next to him on the couch.

Kurt had never tried smoking, and it wasn't something he sought out; it was just something he was curious about ever since the first party when Blaine decided to be a party pooper. Kurt just wanted to try it once, get the full college experience, just to know what a high felt like, and mark it off his bucket list. Besides, god knows he could use something to relieve his stress from time to time. He nudged Blaine with his shoulder.

"Yeah, I'm like a genius now. So...Noah was right; you did have a stash somewhere. His money was in the cabinet with the cleaning supplies; my money was in some locked safe hidden in your room with an encrypted password."

Blaine chuckled as he turned, bringing his legs up and sitting Indian-style to face Kurt, watching his face appraisingly. He stayed like that for nearly a minute, taking another hit off the joint. Then he shook his head, a playful smile gracing his lips.

"Wroong. Try the box of Fruit Loops. Safest place in the house because you hate them."

He rested his head against the back of the couch, smiling big like he was actually pleased with himself for coming up with the idea.

"See...who's the genius now?"

Kurt rolled his eyes—partly because Blaine was being far too cocky over his admittedly clever hiding place, and partly because he was acting as if he thought he actually needed to hide it from Kurt. At that realization Kurt frowned just slightly and turned to face Blaine more fully.

"You know...even if I had found it, I would have never gone behind your back."

Blaine frowned when he saw Kurt do the same; he reached out to touch Kurt's forehead, dragging his fingers down, pressing them into Kurt's brows until he felt them relax beneath his fingertips.

"I know that," he mumbled, his eyes focusing intensely on Kurt's now relaxed face.

"Do you...?"

Blaine's gaze dropped to the joint he was holding between his fingers, biting his lip as if debating internally before returning his gaze to Kurt's face.

"Do you want to try?"

Kurt's eyes went wide at Blaine's question, raising an eyebrow that was still tingling from his touch.

"R-really?"

Blaine nodded, bringing the joint to his lips and taking a hit. He blew gently against Kurt's face, puffing out a perfect ring of smoke before exhaling the rest. He licked his lips and handed Kurt the half-smoked joint.

"Yeah. Here."

Kurt took the joint tentatively, looking at it and then back to Blaine, worrying his lip between his teeth. He hated that he was so clueless, nervous even, and he hated it even more that it would probably just give Blaine more of a reason to call him a kid.

"Um...do I just...I mean does it..."

Kurt shrugged and chuckled nervously.

"Okay...I have no fucking clue what I'm doing."

Blaine smiled a lopsided smile and grabbed Kurt's wrist, his leg brushing against Kurt's as he scooted closer, smiling at the way Kurt's hand was trembling slightly.

"Want some help?"

Kurt looked into Blaine's eyes innocently, speaking quietly. "Maybe..."

Blaine nodded shortly, his eyes darting down to Kurt's lips, tongue flicking out to lick across his own almost unconsciously.

"Okay. Here's what we'll do. I'm going to take a drag from the joint and then exhale the smoke into your mouth. It'll be like, uh…well it'll be like I'll be sharing my breath with you, but, um, not really..."

He waited for Kurt to nod his head yes; then he slowly but surely guided Kurt's hand to his lips and took a drag from the joint still held in Kurt's fingers, wrapping his hand around Kurt's. It was oddly intimate, the way Kurt didn't look away, the way he looked into Blaine's eyes, the way his breath hitched in his throat when Blaine cupped his other hand around the back of Kurt's head, pressing gently, drawing him closer.

There was the briefest hesitation before Kurt closed the distance with determination, hooking an arm around Blaine's neck, eyes slipping closed as their lips brushed against each other.

Blaine exhaled into Kurt's mouth, pushing smoke all the way into his lungs, his lips tingling from where they touched Kurt's.

It all happened so quickly—Blaine taking a drag from the joint, Blaine gently but firmly cupping the back of his head, the almost magnetic feeling as their faces inched closer, and the way Blaine's lips looked plump and slightly chapped just before Kurt's eyes fluttered closed.

Kurt closed his mouth after Blaine had exhaled the smoke, brushing his lips against Blaine's. He kept his eyes closed for a second, feeling the smoke fill his lungs, and he wondered if after just one hit his heart should be beating as fast as it was.

He exhaled slowly, watching with fascination as wisps of smoke trailed from his lips. "Wow. I, uh…thanks. That was probably way less embarrassing than inhaling wrong and choking to death."

Blaine chuckled softly and curled his arm around Kurt's waist when he dropped his head to Blaine's shoulder, probably caught in the rush of his first hit.

"Want to try it by yourself now? It isn't that different from what we just did."

Kurt was feeling lightheaded, staring at Blaine with hooded eyes, as he experienced the rush of his first high. He lifted his head, which felt strangely heavy, from Blaine's shoulder, thinking a while before cautiously nodding his head. He switched the joint to his left hand and brought it up to his mouth as he wrapped his right hand around the back of Blaine's neck. He took a slow drag and inhaled deeply, bringing Blaine's face closer to his, watching as his lips parted automatically. Kurt shuddered slightly as their lips touched; he closed his eyes and exhaled the smoke into Blaine's mouth, pressing their lips together more firmly to prevent any of the smoke from escaping.

Blaine let out a silent gasp when their lips met, totally taken off guard when Kurt pulled him closer and breathed into his mouth. This wasn't what he had in mind when he'd asked Kurt if he wanted to give it a try himself, but he most definitely was not complaining.

He kept his lips pressed against Kurt's for an extra few seconds this time, his hand sliding inside Kurt's t-shirt, fingers brushing against his warm skin. When Kurt parted his lips, Blaine slid his tongue into his mouth, stroking it along Kurt's as he finally inhaled the smoke into his lungs; his fingernails lightly pressing into Kurt's flesh. Fuck, he was dizzy; his head was spinning, and it wasn't even from the high. His body was having the wrong kind of reaction to their proximity, and he didn't like the weird feeling in his stomach that shouldn't have been there. But he just _wanted_—he wanted so bad it almost hurt to breathe when he finally pulled back, exhaling against Kurt's lips.

Kurt breathed out, feeling the slight burn in his throat from the smoke, but his skin felt more on fire where Blaine was touching him. When he opened his eyes, it felt like things were moving in slow motion—from the way Blaine dragged his tongue along his bottom lip to the way he dropped his hand from Blaine's neck, dragging it slowly down Blaine's arm and feeling the bicep flex beneath his fingers. If this was what getting high felt like, Kurt could see how it could get addicting.

"How'd I do?"

Blaine tightened his grip around Kurt's waist, instinctively pulling him closer, his mind cloudy and his eyes hooded as he pulled Kurt half on top of his lap. He gazed at Kurt's face then, first at the way his cheeks flushed a beautiful tone of pink, then down at his lips, now glistening with Blaine's saliva. He looked mouthwatering. Blaine brought the hand that wasn't caressing Kurt's side up to his face, fingertips brushing across Kurt's cheek and jaw line. Blaine followed the movement of his fingers across that silky surface almost in fascination.

"Perfect," he whispered into the tiny space between their faces, his thumb tracing Kurt's lower lip.

"So perfect."

Kurt's head felt a little foggy, and now was definitely not the time for Blaine to be guiding his thumb across Kurt's lips and looking him in the eyes as he said things like "perfect." How did this keep happening every time they were near each other? It was as if everything they did was by instinct or reflex—when none of this should have felt this easy. Kurt wasn't thinking clearly, or at least his brain was a couple minutes behind his body, because when he placed his hand on Blaine's thigh, it felt good to the touch, not wrong like his brain was now relaying. His heart was beating with excitement as he started to lean in, fucking leaning in towards Blaine's lips, but that's when his brain short-circuited on him. Blaine's lips weren't his to kiss for _so_ many reasons, but the one reason that was becoming a mantra in his mind at the moment was Adam.

Kurt stopped himself mere inches away from Blaine's lips and opened his eyes wide, noticing Blaine's were closed, his face relaxed and simply beautiful. Kurt must have paused too long because Blaine's eyes fluttered open, and Kurt let out a choked whisper; this time his brain taking charge before his body could do what it wanted to.

"A-Adam's coming to visit this weekend."

Kurt's head fell to his chest, his body immediately protesting when Blaine dropped his hands away and shifted his body to create more space between them.

Blaine bit his lip hard to hold back a whine that was trying to escape his lips and clenched his fists in his lap. He didn't know what the fuck was wrong with him, but he felt like having Kurt's lips on his or touching him in any way was a physical necessity—but this was something, as Kurt had just reminded him, that he had to do without.

He took a deep breath and pressed his forehead against Kurt's, not pushing for anything else, just keeping it pressed against Kurt's, as they breathed in sync, closing their eyes and letting themselves just _be_ for a moment. He felt good, too—settled, grounded—but not enough—and Blaine was afraid it would never be enough. The pull was still there—god was it ever—but with the shadow of Adam and so many other things that were left unsaid engulfing them, Blaine made himself pull back from the almost-trance they both seemed to be in.

"You should uh..."

He turned away, putting his feet back on the floor, and rested his head on the back of the couch, glancing at Kurt with an unreadable expression on his face.

"You should go get some sleep."

Kurt looked at the clock; it was only nine, definitely not bed-time, but he knew that wasn't what Blaine was really saying. He was telling Kurt to go, subtly, acknowledging the mistake they had just avoided. They would blame it on the weed, which actually was probably partly to blame. Just the same, the feeling in the pit of Kurt's stomach when Blaine was around was there when he showed up at his bedroom door this afternoon, and it was there now. It apparently wasn't going anywhere soon, if at all.

Kurt sighed and nodded, placing a hand on Blaine's leg as he stood up.

"Y-yeah. Right. This…uh…made me tired."

Blaine was staring at the ceiling, not risking a glance in Kurt's direction as he passed in front of him. Kurt couldn't tell what he was thinking; he never knew unless he could read his eyes, and as he made his way to the stairs, he just hoped Blaine wasn't thinking of leaving again because of what he'd just said about Adam. Kurt could handle avoiding the subject of whatever was going on, but he didn't want to deal with an empty house again. He stopped at the base of the stairs, touching his lips with his fingers.

"Thanks for letting me try that. I…uh…I liked it even if it was just this once."

Blaine threw a quick glance at Kurt's way, his eyes darkening when he saw Kurt touch his lips the same way Blaine had done just minutes ago; he squeezed his eyes shut. He couldn't, shouldn't, let himself wonder if Kurt was really only talking about smoking, but he did anyway. Like his own fucked-up-ness wasn't enough, he was dragging Kurt down with him, and he wasn't sure if he could stop.

"Just go to your room, Kurt."

And there it was, the final dismissive comment from Blaine, ensuring that this would never be talked about again, almost like it never happened at all. And maybe that was for the best. Kurt wasn't sure what he was trying to say, or at least he didn't want to admit what he was trying to say, and Blaine obviously didn't want to hear it. He hated it when Blaine told him what to do or not do, and he hated when Blaine was right. So Kurt just sighed heavily and dragged his feet up the stairs. Come to think of it, he was pretty exhausted.


	7. Chapter 7

**(AN: We all knew it was inevitable... the boyfriend. So be prepared for some angst, be prepared for Adam and hopefully something unexpected. This was fun chapter to write so we would love to hear your feedback. And again thank you so much to our beta for making it even better!)**

"There is a primal reassurance in being touched, in knowing that someone else, someone close to you, wants to be touching you. There is a bone-deep security that goes with the brush of human hand, a silent, reflex-level affirmation that someone is near, that someone cares."

—Jim Butcher, _White Knight_

Kurt sat at the kitchen table alone, tearing off pieces of his pop tart and letting them fall to his plate with no real intention of eating them while he alternated between glancing at his watch and at the stairs. It was too early on a Thursday for him to be so wound up, but he was a ball of nerves over two different people who shouldn't even be making him nervous in the first place. At least in a perfect, non-complicated world they shouldn't, but Kurt most definitely did not live in that world.

As the minutes ticked by Kurt became more and more nervous about picking up his boyfriend from the airport, which was an odd feeling because at one time Adam was one of the few people with whom he actually felt comfortable. It wasn't like he hadn't seen Adam these past three months since they'd scheduled Skype dates every week, but if felt as if in the last couple of weeks these had become more of an obligation. Kurt was hoping that one look at Adam when he finally saw him in person would make everything go back to how it used to be—that somehow, miraculously everything would become simple again. But he was so afraid 'simple' just wasn't possible anymore.

Nervous or not, Kurt was still excited. Excited to be in Adam's arms again, excited to bring him into this new life he had started to make for himself, excited for him to meet the people in his life who had quickly become like family—including Blaine.

Blaine. Blaine was the other cause of Kurt's anxiety as was evident when his eyes would jolt to the stairs at every sound he heard in the otherwise silent house. They hadn't spoken since the previous night, and Kurt hadn't forgotten what had happened—despite his wish that in the morning it would all be some weed-induced dream he would forget seconds after daylight seeped into his room. The question was—did he _really_ want to forget?

Kurt sighed with one last glance towards the stairs and flipped the coffee maker off before grabbing his keys and heading out the door. He started his car with a weight in his chest that he couldn't explain. He wasn't sure what he expected; he knew deep down that they wouldn't talk about the 'almost' kiss, they wouldn't talk about how Blaine traced Kurt's lips with a slightly shaky hand, and they wouldn't mention the moment they took, heads pressed together, just feeling the energy course between their bodies.

But with Blaine not coming down for his usual morning cup of coffee, Kurt didn't know what to think. Were they okay? Would they fall back into their bantering camaraderie as easily as they had in the past? Was Blaine still a flight risk? Would he take off again if things got uncomfortable or heavy? How would he react to Adam's presence—or would he even be there when they returned from the airport? Could they avoid letting anything like the previous night happen again? With all these questions running through his head, Kurt didn't even realize he was driving into the arrivals lane at Sky Harbor until a grinning Adam came into view.

Adam's steps faltered slightly when Kurt got out of his car and walked to the passenger door, leaning against it so casually, arms crossed, with an easy smile on his face that Adam had badly missed. He wasn't terribly disappointed that Kurt didn't just jump into his arms as soon as he let himself out the doors because it gave him time to calm his nerves—which should have already been calm in the first place. This wasn't a first date, after all; Kurt was already his boyfriend, had been for almost two years, and there was nothing they didn't already know about each other. But Adam had forgotten how the sight of Kurt would make his stomach tighten, his heart beat faster, and his breath catch in his throat. Maybe it was the distance, or maybe it was the three months they'd spent apart from each other, but Adam almost felt like a stranger admiring someone who wasn't actually his to admire.

He quickened his pace when Kurt quirked an eyebrow, uncrossing his arms to wave at Adam, as if it was possible for Adam to miss him, as if he didn't know the way Adam's eyes always would find him no matter where they were or who they were with.

He whistled softly when he finally stood in front of Kurt, checking him out in an exaggerated way that made Kurt giggle. He'd missed that sound, too—almost as much as he'd missed the sight and feel of him.

"Fancy seeing you here," he said softly as he hooked a finger in Kurt's belt loop and pulled him in, his smile growing bigger when Kurt wrapped his arms around him tight, as if maybe he'd really missed Adam, too—because lately Adam hadn't really been sure.

Kurt smiled against the soft scruff on his boyfriend's cheek when Adam didn't waste any time, wrapping both arms around Kurt's waist and pulling him even closer. Kurt always loved how Adam was a possessive hugger, as if the way he staked his claim was to hug you with his whole body, just a little tighter than the average hug. Adam had never been one for blatant PDA; he was always too worried about what people would think or do, but his hugs were epic. But as Kurt laughed into the crook of Adam's neck, he found it a little strange to have to stretch up to nuzzle into the curve of Adam's long neck. Maybe it was just because the few times he'd really hugged anyone lately, it had been Blaine—and it was Blaine who seemed to fit perfectly in the space between Kurt's neck and shoulder. Kurt pulled back from Adam at that thought and kissed him quickly before grabbing his bags from the curb.

"Glad to see some things don't change; your hugs will always be my favorite. Now c'mon—I don't want to waste one more second of our weekend together by hanging around an airport; I have so much to show you!"

Adam spent the car ride to Kurt's place—which was kind of weird in itself because he would always picture the Hummel home in Chicago as 'Kurt's place'—by filling Kurt in about what everyone had been up to since he left, how much everyone missed him, how much _he_ missed him, and how college wasn't what he'd hoped for and maybe not everyone should go to college anyway.

Kurt murmured his agreement at the appropriate places and smiled when necessary, but other than that he was quiet, focusing intently on the road and biting his lower lip the way he always did when he was nervous.

Adam noticed the old habit, but he didn't know the reason; he just hoped he wasn't it. Maybe that was why he was talking nonstop, filling any potentially awkward silence with some other news. He took Kurt's hand over the console and let out a quiet sigh of relief when Kurt interlocked their fingers.

"Look at you. You sure know your way around here. You're already acting like you belong here, huh?"

He didn't know why he sounded a tiny bit accusatory, squeezing Kurt's fingers instinctively as soon as the words left his lips.

Kurt looked over at Adam with a questioning look, not really understanding what Adam meant before he turned back to the road in silence. When people would ask him where he was from, he would always reply Chicago and that he was just here for school. But lately, when he thought of home, he didn't picture the house he and Jamie grew up in or the two-bedroom condo they moved into when his mom died. If he thought about it hard enough, even the idea of feeling at home at Adam's family's house where he'd spent most of his time in high school seemed an almost distant memory. But as the warm breeze hit his arm, which was hanging out the open driver's side window as he pulled up to the house he shared with Blaine and, in some ways, even Jamie, he felt a strong sense of home—as if this was now the place he belonged. The realization was shocking to Kurt because he hadn't expected to feel like this so soon—or ever—and he didn't know when that had changed. He parked the car and looked over at Adam, noticing the worry he was hiding behind his smile. Kurt gave his hand one more gentle squeeze before letting it go and putting the car in park.

"I guess the place _has_ kind of grown on me, but now that you here it's perfect."

As Kurt said the word "perfect," his eyes drifted unconsciously over Adam's shoulder to Blaine's bike parked on the other side of his car before drifting back to Adam, just in time to receive a sweet kiss.

Adam bit his lip to keep himself from whining when Kurt pulled back from the kiss. Still, he followed him out of the car with a smile plastered on his face, raising an eyebrow when Kurt moved to take his duffel back from the back.

"Leave it to me, babe. I snuck some of Dad's wine bottles in it. It's heavy as shit."

Kurt shook his head playfully and handed the bag to Adam as he resolved not to mention the amount of alcohol that was probably in their house at any given time or to remind him of the fact that he had a fake ID; so sneaking alcohol was now a high school memory. Kurt noticed his palms were getting sweaty—and not from the weather—as he reached for the door handle into their house. Just knowing that Blaine was home made his nerves return; he hadn't really thought about the fact that he would actually have to _introduce_ Adam to Blaine. He turned toward Adam before he opened the door, wanting to explain the dynamic of his living situation, but he quickly found he couldn't even explain it himself.

"So Blaine is home. That was his bike outside. So…um…He's kind of like Jamie... But not really... He kind of acts like a big brother type but…um…not really... You'll like him though; everyone likes him..."

Kurt sighed when Adam looked at him like he was talking gibberish and tried to recover from his rambling with a big smile and a wink.

"Anyway... Let's get you up to my room."

Blaine looked up from his laptop once he heard the front door open, rising slightly on the couch so he could take a peek at the newcomers. Kurt was in his skinny, white jeans—because, yeah, why make Blaine's life easier—and some blond guy with his arm draped possessively across Kurt's shoulders, holding him much more closely than seemed necessary—and, yeah, he just _had _to be even taller than Kurt, didn't he?—was looking around with searching eyes like people would do when they visit a new place. If Blaine had thought universe was done messing with him, he was so damn wrong because the boy, looking like he just stepped out of a fashion magazine, Kurt's _boyfriend_, hadn't even uttered a single word, and Blaine already disliked him severely. This was his life now—fucking high school musical.

But Blaine didn't spare the blond a second glance as his eyes found Kurt's over the back of the couch, taking in the way his eyes widened in surprise and the way his lips parted. Blaine held Kurt's eyes without blinking until he not-so-subtly peeled himself from the body around him, smiling at the boy when he looked at Kurt questioningly.

Blaine got up from the couch, stretched his arms as he leaned up on tiptoes slightly, and schooled his features into a welcoming expression when the stranger's eyes finally met his. He held his hand out, wearing a small smile on his face.

"Hey, man. Welcome to the Valley of the Sun. I'm Blaine."

Adam reached out and shook Blaine's hand quickly and firmly before dropping his hand back down by his side, expecting Kurt's hand to be there, but it wasn't, at least not until he looked at Kurt with searching eyes, and they interlocked fingers.

"Adam. And thanks. I'm just excited to finally be where Kurt is, but the weather is a plus."

Kurt pulled Adam farther into the house, in an attempt to break up what was promising to be a riveting conversation about the weather, complete with fake smiles. He took him into the kitchen, immediately going into the fridge to grab Adam a Dr. Pepper, which Kurt had stocked especially for him.

"Oh… uh… I gave up soda like a month ago. I could go for a sparkling water though, if you have one."

Kurt looked at Adam with a questioning look and gave him filtered water as a compromise, frowning slightly at the change he had missed. Kurt's tendency to guilt-trip himself as far as Adam was concerned quickly returned. How could he not know even the simplest thing about his own boyfriend?

Blaine came up behind Kurt, grabbed the can of soda from the counter, and poured it into a glass along with a shot of vodka, smirking at Kurt as he took a drink. Kurt smiled back before turning to Adam, who seemed a little confused by the looks he and Blaine were sharing.

"Well, I hope you still drink coffee because that's sort of a morning ritual around here."

Adam nodded and set his glass of flat, non-sparkling water on the table, pulling out a chair and sitting down as he did so.

"Haven't been able to shake that bad habit since our first coffee date. So who's the barista of the house then?" Looking at Blaine, he added, "Coffee used to be the only thing Kurt would never let me make him."

Blaine took a generous sip from his glass, licking his lips as he leaned back against the counter, eyes on Adam as he curled his lips into a private smile.

"I haven't touched our coffee maker since Kurt got here."

Blaine smiled behind his glass when Kurt ducked his head, a blush spreading along the back of his neck. Blaine caught his eyes when Kurt returned his smile.

"I don't know how he does it, but his coffee is kind of addicting," he added.

Kurt wanted to share that the reason he didn't let Adam make him coffee was because he was awful at it, but he didn't want to make Adam feel more uncomfortable. Still, he made a mental note to tell Blaine how he forced himself to convert to tea for almost a full year whenever he was around Adam, but then would secretly binge drink a large non-fat mocha with an extra shot from his favorite espresso shop on his way home to curb his cravings.

"It's because Jamie forced me into servitude at a young age. I could make smiley faces in my latte foam by the time I was nine."

Kurt kissed the top of Adam's head when he noticed the frown on his face as he looked between Blaine and Kurt as if he was missing something.

"C'mon, babe; the best part of the house is yet to come," he said as took Adam's hand and pulled him from the chair.

Blaine turned around so he wouldn't have to see what Kurt was going to do in response to the shamelessly smoldering look Adam gave him. He poured himself some more vodka and downed it at one go; his grip on the glass was so tight his knuckles were turning white. He wiped his lips with the back of his hand and set the glass down on the counter, absently noting with relief that he didn't slam it hard enough to break it.

"And I need to go meet Quinn. See you guys at The Vine tonight."

He didn't look at Kurt or acknowledge Adam as he walked out of the kitchen, grabbing his phone from the couch and taking quick, long strides until he was out of the house. He could only breathe more easily after he'd hopped on his bike, twisted the throttle and the bike roared to life. The rumble between his legs was the only thing that felt reassuring.

xxx

Kurt pulled a nervous looking Adam towards the entrance to The Vine, assuring him the whole way there that he knew the bouncer, who was friends with Blaine and Jamie, and that they would get in with no problem. When Kurt flashed his fake I.D. to Gabriel, he just nodded and smiled reassuringly at the nervous Adam before ushering them through the door. Kurt laughed at Adam's loud sigh of relief as they entered the bar, like he'd just robbed a bank and gotten away with it or something. He reached for his hand and led him towards the table where everyone had already gathered. Quinn was already out of her seat and jumping into Kurt's arms before they made it halfway to the table.

"Kurt! I thought you were keeping your boy toy away from us—afraid we'll embarrass you or something?"

Kurt kissed Quinn on the cheek before letting her go.

"No, no just got caught up. I've been telling Adam for weeks how much I wanted him to meet you guys. So—uh, Quinn, this is Adam. Adam, Quinn."

Adam smiled that half crooked smile that everyone pretty much fell in love with and was whisked away by Quinn, leaving Kurt to trail behind as they met up with everyone at the table. Kurt reached the table just as everyone was starting in with the third degree about why they were late.

"Kind of you to drag yourself out of bed for a drink, Hummel. I was beginning to think you'd be going at it all weekend. I was about to offer Blaine my couch again…or ear plugs."

"Dude, my bro has gone without for, like _months_, pure torture! Of course he's going to jump Adam the first chance he gets."

"What, Freckle Face? Not even a nice big hickey to show off for making us wait? If I had to go without gettin' some for more than a couple days, I don't think we'd even leave the bedroom!"

"Aww, you guys're making Adam blush; he's almost as cute as Kurt with those red cheeks."

Kurt was sure his blush matched Adam's as everyone was speculating about why they were late, even if their assumptions were wrong. Kurt had taken Adam up to his room for that very reason. Noah was right; it _was_ pure torture going without all these months, and even more difficult these last couple of weeks.

But when Kurt pushed Adam into his bedroom with every intention of throwing him on the bed, Adam's attention went to the open door to his bathroom, and he could see all the way to the open door to Blaine's room. This had been one of the first details Kurt had shared with Adam when he moved—including how upset he was about having to share a bathroom. It actually turned out to be not so bad; he and Blaine had even worked out a little bedtime ritual.

However, when Kurt inserted this little anecdote, Adam's concerned look turned into a frown, and he made a comment about how he and Blaine might as well be sharing a room. Kurt didn't know why Adam was making such a big deal about something Kurt had no control over, but this wasn't something he wanted to fight about, especially not now. So Kurt shut Adam up with a kiss and shut both doors before practically dragging him to the bed. After a couple of kisses behind Adam's ear, he seemed to forget about the shared bathroom and seemed to realize that he had a horny boyfriend on top of him.

It was easy to fall back into the rhythm they had set in high school—a little awkward, a little rushed, and always pretty vanilla. Not that there was anything wrong with that, but neither one of them had ever made an attempt to spice things up. Adam didn't like change, and Kurt was happy to go along for the ride, especially since the one time Kurt _had _tried to change things up a bit, Adam made his feelings quite clear on the subject. Judging by the little whines escaping Adam's mouth, he was ready to move on to more than just heated kisses, and Kurt obliged, eagerly raising his hands so Adam could take off his shirt.

Kurt expected Adam to attach his lips his stomach after that, but instead he felt a hand pushing him back a little as Adam looked at his side. This triggered a conversation about Kurt's tattoo and how Adam hadn't realized it was so big and how he missed Kurt's unblemished skin—which then led to Kurt getting defensive. Then Adam got upset about how he felt that the metaphor Kurt used to justify his tattoo—the blackbirds representing leaving his past behind and starting new—was also a way to say he was "escaping" Adam. By the time Kurt convinced Adam that he was reading too much into the tattoo and that he actually really loved it so maybe Adam should try being more supportive, neither of them was in the mood to continue what they had been doing. Besides, by that time they were already late to meet up with Kurt's friends.

That was the real reason they were late, but Kurt didn't see any harm in letting his friends think that he and Adam just couldn't keep their hands off each other, and months ago that probably would have been the case. He let his friends tease Adam a little longer and let his eyes find Blaine, who was sipping his beer, not joining in on the conversation, just simply watching Kurt.

Blaine didn't look away when Kurt met his glance, looking him right in the eye while the others were still cracking stupid jokes at the expense of Kurt and his boyfriend. Normally Blaine would have loved the way Kurt's cheeks flushed so easily, the way he didn't seem to be able to stop running his fingers through his hair as he returned Blaine's look, but now he knew he wasn't the reason. He knew he wasn't the one that made Kurt blush like a middle-schooler on a first date. What was he thinking, anyway? Just because he made a body shiver once didn't make it his. He downed the rest of his drink and set his glass down on the table with a loud thud, eyes still on Kurt even as he addressed Sebastian.

"Maybe I should take you up on that offer to stay at your place—if it isn't too late."

Kurt's eyes went wide, and his smile faded when Blaine made his comment to Sebastian. He had just gotten Blaine back; he didn't want him to leave again, and he definitely didn't want to make him feel uncomfortable in his own house. It was the whisper in his ear and the arms that wrapped tight around his stomach that broke the eye contact between him and Blaine.

"A place to ourselves doesn't sound half bad."

Kurt pulled his head back to look at Adam, who was wiggling his eyebrows at his confirmation of Blaine's question to Sebastian. Kurt sighed and kissed Adam's ear lobe before whispering back.

"That's what doors and headphones are for."

Kurt motioned with his eyes at Blaine and then to the bar, hoping he would get what he was trying to say as he peeled himself from Adam's tighter than normal grip.

"I'm going to go get us drinks; don't embarrass me too bad..."

Blaine gave it a couple minutes before pushing his chair back and getting up, pointing at his empty glass when Quinn arched a perfectly manicured eyebrow.

"Gotta go get my own drink before Kurt comes back with warm milk."

He smiled when Sebastian snorted, somewhat fondly, and ignored the frown that formed on Adam's face. Yes, he did have inside jokes with Kurt, or about Kurt. So how 'bout _that_, blondie?

Blaine paused when he made it to the bar, watching Kurt talk to Toby, smiling at something he said, the skin around his mouth crinkling into a half-moon shape the way it always did when he wanted to keep himself from smiling bigger. Blaine didn't know when he started to notice these things, and he wasn't surprised to find that he didn't really care. He was screwed anyway.

He stood close to the bar stool Kurt was sitting on, putting his elbow right next to Kurt's.

"I'll have what he's having," he provided when Toby looked at his way expectantly, using the same line Kurt said to him the last time they were here.

Kurt smiled down at the drink in his hands and then over at Blaine.

"Funny. I ordered the Blaine special—Jack and coke with double the Jack. I got Adam a vodka soda; maybe that's close enough to the sparkling water or whatever crap he drinks now."

Kurt looked back at Adam, finding him in between Quinn and Santana, looking like he was just trying to keep up. But Kurt didn't want to go back just yet; the quiet banter and easiness with Blaine was a nice contrast to the pressure he felt trying to impress Adam and constantly make sure he was having a good time. Kurt turned to Blaine, who was eyeing Kurt's drink, and nudged him with his shoulder.

"You know you don't need to stay at Sebastian's, right?"

Blaine looked up from where he was watching the way Kurt was absently toying with the rim of his glass and shrugged, licking his suddenly too dry lips.

"Maybe I don't need to, no."

He reached for his glass and brought it to his lips, his eyes never losing their intense focus on Kurt's face.

"But I can, if you want. It would be no problem."

Blaine's unmoving stare was distracting; it didn't make him feel uncomfortable in a way that most people's stares would, but it did make it hard for Kurt to form words or have a completely coherent thought. He usually tried to match the intenseness, to not look away, but as his words tried to take shape in his mind, he averted his eyes.

"It's just…uh, I'm kind of worried that if you do leave, you won't come back... Like last week… or even longer..."

Kurt glanced shyly at Blaine and shrugged, trying to make up for how desperate he probably sounded.

"But you know, if you have another project or a pressing Halo tournament... Well, then, I guess I can't stop you."

Blaine probably deserved it, but he hated that Kurt was feeling so uncertain about him, like he couldn't even trust him to come back. He hated that Kurt didn't know coming back wasn't even a question. He needed Kurt too much not to, even if he wasn't yet ready to define that need more specifically. But there was also that slight desperate edge to Kurt's voice, even when he gave Blaine a way out, and Blaine was going to cling to it for dear life—because for some reason, Kurt wanted him around, too.

He moved his hand, brushing his fingers across the inside of Kurt's wrist slightly, tracing the visible blue veins on Kurt's otherwise milky skin with his thumb.

"Maybe you should..."

Kurt's whole body shivered at the feather-light touches, and he could feel the goose bumps rising all over his skin. Even the slightest touch from Blaine could be felt over his entire body. Kurt grabbed his drink and stood up from the bar stool, setting his hand on top of Blaine's hand resting on the bar, looking deep into his dark hazel eyes.

"I should. But I can't."

Kurt kept focus on Blaine's eyes for a few more seconds before he grabbed Adam's all but forgotten drink and headed back to the table.

Blaine stayed at the bar until he drained his glass and ordered another, feeling better when he started to feel the warm buzz spreading to his whole body.

He took the chair next to Quinn's when he made it to their table; everyone else was engrossed in whatever important thing Adam had to say about archery because obviously looking like a British top model wasn't enough; he had to have a fancy hobby, too.

"Didn't know your boyfriend was the next Legolas, Hummel," Noah chirped, waggling his eyebrows exaggeratedly as if he hadn't made it sound dirty enough. Blaine scowled behind his glass and returned his focus to Kurt's face, which seemed to be his favorite thing to stare at lately.

Kurt watched Adam speak enthusiastically about archery and about how much skill and precision it takes, and all Kurt could think about was the time when they watched the Avengers, and Adam wouldn't shut up about how Hawkeye had the lamest super power, and that just being really good at shooting arrows shouldn't give you the privilege to stand next to Iron Man. Kurt also found it extremely strange that this was the first time he was hearing about this hobby that was apparently very important to Adam. Kurt finished his drink and set it on the table a little harder than he wanted to.

"I…uh…didn't know. This is the first I'm hearing about my boyfriend being the next Robin Hood, but I bet he could totally pull off those tights."

Kurt went to wrap his arm around Adam's waist, but Adam gave him a stern look, obviously not liking his 'tights' comment very much. So Kurt turned his attention to Noah, reaching over to take a sip of his beer.

"Noah, when are we going to check out that indoor sky diving place?"

"Dude! Soon—we need to practice so we can do the real deal this spring!"

Noah's eyes lit up, and he went to high five Kurt, starting their very elaborate hand shake, causing everyone else at the table to roll their eyes, but it was quickly interrupted by Adam's confused voice.

"But you hate heights… why would you want to do something like that?"

Despite the interruption, Kurt finished the handshake with Noah, because stopping a bro five mid-bro five was like the worst thing you could do and constitutes a punishment of three shots of the other's choosing, and Kurt just didn't think he could handle jaeger shots right now. And then he looked at Adam and just shrugged, frowning slightly.

"No _you_ hate heights; I just didn't want to do anything that made you uncomfortable. But it sounds exhilarating, like a natural high."

Blaine watched the interaction between Kurt and Adam, narrowing his eyes when Adam made the enthusiastic smile disappear from Kurt's face when he mentioned Kurt not liking heights.

He bit his inner lip and smiled a secret smile when Kurt's eyes drifted to his as soon as the word "high" escaped his lips; Blaine watched as his favorite shade of pink embellished Kurt's cheeks when Blaine's eyes dropped to his lips. God, Blaine had _never_ longed for someone else's lips like this before.

He cleared his throat and flashed Adam a fake smile when he caught his attention.

"Yeah, Kurt is quite the adrenaline junkie. He'd ride my bike to the sunset at top speed if I let him."

The idea of riding Blaine's bike wasn't nearly as exciting to Kurt as the idea of Blaine driving as fast as he could while he clung to him for dear life, but he wasn't going to say that out loud. That thought was confined to his dreams. Kurt bit his lip at the thought before kissing Adam's cheek.

"Don't worry. I always wear a helmet."

As the night went on, Kurt continued to learn things about Adam that he should have known already and felt embarrassed that he didn't. In addition to archery, Adam had also gotten a sudden interest in the art scene in downtown Chicago, he recently started swimming instead of running at the gym, and the new lab partner he had mentioned to Kurt one or two other times was actually his new best friend.

One thing Kurt knew, he was tired of feeling like everyone was judging him and his relationship, and he pulled Adam to the dance floor. "Shut up and Dance" came on, and Kurt's eyes lit up. He immediately started getting into the music—both the lyrics and the beat—jumping and twisting and gyrating, before Adam reeled him back in, shaking his head. Adam never was a person who liked to stand out; so Kurt reluctantly stopped and went back to dancing the way Adam danced, reserved with one hand always firmly around Kurt's waist, scanning the room for everyone else but never focusing on Kurt.

When a slower song came on he reached up and hooked his arms around Adam's neck and rested his head on his shoulder, immediately catching sight of the back of Blaine's curly head as he danced with Quinn. Kurt unobtrusively guided Adam past a couple of people to see if he could catch Blaine's eyes. Lately whenever Blaine and he were in the same room, Kurt couldn't go very long without finding his eyes, without trying to count the flecks of gold. It had become very calming, almost hypnotic for Kurt. He waited patiently for Blaine to look up, giving him a small sweet smile when he finally did, feeling calmer than he had all night.

Blaine had to close his eyes and take a deep breath when he looked up from the dance floor and locked eyes with Kurt. Kurt was still staring when Blaine cracked his eyes open again, finding himself a little lost in Kurt's smile, the smile that always made weird flip-flops in his stomach whenever it was aimed his way. It took him a while to return it, feeling a sense of déjà vu as he buried his chin in Quinn's neck and imagined it felt like it was Kurt's fingers that trailed up, running through his hair. He wondered if it was always going to be like this—longing looks, bittersweet smiles, tiptoeing around the same things over and over again, the almost unbearable need to look, touch, kiss. God, why was this _happening_ to him?

They got caught up in that staring thing they always did—fuck, they just didn't seem to be able to stop—and when Blaine started to feel overly warm, he couldn't tell if it was the drinks or the overcrowded dance floor or Kurt's eyes on him that was making him heat up from the inside out.

xxx

Blaine shut the lid of his laptop and stretched his arms over his head, eyes tired from looking at the screen for too long. This was what he got for all the slacking he'd been doing for the last couple days—ignoring deadlines, papers, and his thesis. The effort to spend as little time at home as possible was wearing him down because as much as he loved spending time outside, he really needed some time to himself in the confines of his own space. But with Adam there, and pretty much attached to Kurt's side all the time, Blaine had been making an extra effort to leave the house before either of them woke up and return after they went to bed, which wasn't something he really wanted to think about.

And when he wasn't quite successful at being invisible and had to share the same space with them, the unspoken tension between them was unbearable. Kurt had audibly gasped when Blaine had to stand behind him to reach for his mug, and their chests collided when Kurt turned around. And Blaine bit his lip all the way to campus when he gave Kurt a ride—with Kurt pressing himself against Blaine's back, his head dipped over Blaine's shoulder, hugging Blaine tightly like he had any right. Good thing Adam was leaving the following day because Blaine didn't know how much longer he could have kept up this schedule, this pretending, this not getting what he wanted thing. Not that he was going to get what he wanted when Adam left anyway, but at least there wouldn't be anyone rubbing it in his face.

Blaine checked the time on his phone and deemed it still too early to go to bed; so he took his empty glass from his desk and made his way downstairs where, apparently, Kurt and his boyfriend were having a movie night. Blaine cursed under his breath and headed into the kitchen as quietly as he could, not wanting to have to make small talk with Adam if they noticed him.

It was Kurt—of course it was—who noticed Blaine when he walked out of the kitchen with a can of PBR in hand, and Blaine thought it was all kinds of unfair the way Kurt's eyes literally lit up the moment he spotted Blaine.

Only Blaine could tear Kurt's attention from a half-naked Justin Timberlake when he walked into the kitchen. Suddenly Blaine getting a beer from the fridge was more interesting than Mila Kunis and JT getting hot and heavy on-screen. Kurt was well aware his priorities were fucked up in more ways than one, but that did nothing to diminish his desire to be near Blaine all the time.

"Hey B. Come join us; we aren't that far into the movie."

Kurt wished his brain could process things faster than his mouth could kick into gear because when he saw the stern look Adam shot him before giving him a too-fake smile, he realized it probably wasn't the best thing to ask another guy to crash their last romantic movie night together. Still, Kurt wanted Blaine there—he missed him—so he went with his feelings. He didn't retract his offer and waited for Blaine's response.

Blaine paused midway to the stairs, his eyes widening at Kurt's offer. His first instinct was to say thanks, but no thanks, and go mind his own fucking business, but he caught the look Adam gave Kurt when he asked Blaine to join them, and he knew it wasn't going to be pretty after he left. But if he stayed, Adam was going to have to be on his 'impress my boyfriend's roommate' behavior—in other words, not screw up Kurt's last night with his boyfriend. Besides, maybe he'd calm down by the time movie was over, and Blaine would be able to leave them to themselves. Maybe it wasn't entirely logical thinking, but it was all he could manage while Kurt was looking at him expectantly, the soft smile on his face reserved for Blaine. So he shrugged casually and nodded, trying not to notice the way Adam shook his head to himself and returned his attention to the screen.

"Yeah, sure. Why not?"

Kurt grinned, but bit his lip so that neither Blaine nor Adam would know how happy he actually was about the fact that he could spend some time with Blaine. He felt like he hadn't really seen him the whole time Adam had been around except the one night at the bar. Kurt let Adam snuggle into his side a little more, his head dropping to Kurt's chest and his arm draping across his stomach. Kurt moved closer to Adam so Blaine would have room to sit comfortably, resting the arm that wasn't slung across Adam's shoulder over the back of the couch. He smiled a soft smile at Blaine before returning his focus to the TV. He refused to acknowledge the tension in the room, resolved to just enjoy the movie.

Blaine didn't even know what they were watching, just that Justin Timberlake was getting more action on-screen than Blaine did in real life. He was surprised to find Kurt still awake considering the fact that every time they had a movie night, Blaine had to carry him to his room, but he was perfectly awake now, curled up to Adam's side, making faces at the screen. It was awfully distracting actually—the way Kurt sometimes pursed his lips, scrunched up his nose and wriggled it, or raised an eyebrow until it seemed to reach his hairline. This was how pining must feel because why else Blaine was noticing these stupid, cheesy things and calling them adorable in his head? Somehow along the way, everything Kurt did stopped being annoying and became adorable—or hot—instead, and Blaine was constantly struggling to find his balance when he was around him.

His eyes caught Kurt's as the light from the TV flashed across the otherwise dark living room. He took a long, slow sip of his beer, making sure his throat was on display as he swallowed, fully aware when Kurt didn't look away, running his tongue along his lower lip. Blaine shifted the arm he'd laid over the back of the couch and avoided looking into his eyes When his fingers touched the back of Kurt's hand, and Kurt didn't pull away, he let his fingertips run across the smooth skin as he kept his eyes on the screen, even though he had no idea what he was seeing.

Kurt didn't dare let his eyes venture from the screen when he felt Blaine's fingers drag so slowly against the back of his hand—mostly in fear that once he looked into those eyes, he wouldn't be able to stop. When Blaine pulled his hand away a little, Kurt could feel the almost electrical charge that existed between the inches that separated their fingers. He shifted his arm just slightly, allowing just one finger to touch Blaine's hand, and then just one more when Blaine moved his hand closer.

They watched the rest of the movie like that, stealing little touches here and there, and becoming more brazen as the time ticked away. It felt dangerous and exciting, and it was only the touch of fingertips. Neither of them looked away from the screen, but Kurt had stopped watching the movie a long time ago. He kept one arm around Adam, but his free hand was now playing with Blaine's fingers, mirroring his movements, and his whole body felt alive—more like live-wired.

Blaine had a thin t-shirt on, his lightweight basketball shorts, and a cold beer in his hand, but sitting next to Kurt on the couch, even a foot or so away from each other, he could feel the warmth radiating off Kurt's body. That and the smell of his cologne, something simultaneously flowery and woodsy, was making his near-constant need for Kurt almost unbearable. Kurt's thumb was inside his palm, tracing the lines and making goose bumps pop up everywhere, and the tingles traveled from Kurt's touch all the way to Blaine's toes.

Blaine was almost relieved when the movie was over and the credits started to roll because he wasn't sure how much longer he could have taken it. It was sweet, sweet torture that he didn't seem to be able to make himself stop. He pulled his hand back quickly, as if burned, and rose from the couch in one quick movement. His voice was low and gruff when he managed a "Night," to Kurt and Adam before he escaped to his room, his fingertips still tingling from where they'd touched Kurt's—not to mention the hard-on he'd been fighting off throughout what could—in the wildest interpretation of the word—have been called one of the most intimate—and excruciating—'hand-jobs' he'd ever experienced.

Kurt nodded and watched Blaine take the stairs two at a time, hoping Adam wouldn't notice the change in his breathing—which seemed so obviously erratic to his own ears. Adam didn't say anything; he just uncurled his body from Kurt's, kissed him on the cheek and said it was time for bed. It definitely had been kind of a weird dynamic the entire time Adam had been there; it felt as if they were walking on egg shells around each other, yet constantly disappointing each other. Things had changed. They both knew it, but it seemed to Kurt neither of them wanted to actually believe it. When Adam got in bed and patted the mattress, signaling for Kurt to join him, there were no sexual undertones or heart eyes present, just the idea that his flight was early in the morning, and they better get some sleep. Kurt should have cared more about that, but he just shrugged and let Adam be the big spoon.

Adam fell asleep quickly. Five minutes with Kurt in his arms, and he was fast asleep, snoring quietly in Kurt's ear. But Kurt was wide awake, his mind running a mile a minute. The weekend's activities were running through his head—all the stuff that he used to find adorable, like the way Adam hummed along to every song on the radio, Kurt now found annoying. And then there were memories of riding behind Blaine on his bike, his arms wrapped tightly around his waist and chest, with the wind in his hair and the howl of the bike beneath them. As Adam's arm relaxed around him, Kurt pondered all the things he didn't know about Adam anymore; then his skin tingled when his thoughts switched to the way Blaine's hand had felt, how he wanted to hold it and never let go. He felt as if he couldn't breathe—the memory was so powerful.

Kurt stayed still was until he was sure Adam was in a deep sleep, and then he carefully slid from his arms and made his way to the bathroom, closing the door. He looked in the mirror, hands on both sides of the sink, his heart racing, his mind on only one thing.

Kurt opened the door to Blaine's room and looked at him with wide eyes.

"I don't know what I'm doing here."

Blaine took his earbuds out and tossed them on the bed, taking in the way Kurt was looking at him with those baby deer eyes that were just so fucking beautiful—and what a tired word _beautiful_ was. You could call a song beautiful, too, or scenery, or a bouquet of flowers, but Kurt made it feel genuine again. His cheeks were flushed, and Blaine could see the way his chest rose and fell with shallow breaths as he stood there, those _beautiful_ eyes dropping to look at the floor. Blaine wanted to gather him in his arms and never let go.

He rose from the bed, heart racing as he took one long stride to close the distance between them, one hand grabbing onto Kurt's arm, apparently of its own volition, as the other cupped Kurt's chin, tilting his head up to make him look at Blaine.

"Hey, hey. You okay, baby boy?" he murmured softly.

Kurt felt his chest tighten at the term of endearment that slipped from Blaine's lips. When they'd first met, being called "baby boy" would have riled him, resulting in an appropriately sarcastic retort, but now it just felt so right. When he let his eyes focus on Blaine's, the concerned look in his eyes mixed with the tight hold on his arm made Kurt feel both lightheaded and solidly planted the same time. Without thinking, Kurt grabbed onto Blaine's waist and pulled himself closer to his body. He spoke in a whisper; he couldn't manage anything else.

"I... I can't stop thinking about you."

Blaine couldn't help the way his eyes slowly closed at Kurt's words; he couldn't help the way his body went lax and his heart pounded.

"God, _Kurt_," he whispered, his voice cracking as he stepped in the last little bit until they were standing pressed against each other, Kurt's arms fully wrapped around Blaine's waist, and Blaine's arms trailing up, hooking around Kurt's neck. He gazed at Kurt's face, and Kurt looked back at Blaine, but his eyes could only focus on Blaine's lips. Unconsciously, Blaine licked his lips, and then stroked his thumb along Kurt's lower lip. Blaine rose up on his toes just a little when he felt Kurt lean into his touch; his head was spinning with the cracking intensity of the moment.

Kurt's heart felt as if it was beating out of his chest as they leaned towards each other. He was almost afraid to look at Blaine's eyes for fear of never being able to look away, but it was a moot point because he couldn't tear his eyes from Blaine's lips, which seem so, so very close now. He wasn't sure who had started moving toward the other, but he was sure he couldn't stop. As their faces got closer, Blaine's hand moved to Kurt's cheek, and the way his fingers brushed across the back of his ear as he cupped Kurt's face sent shivers down his spine. Before Kurt knew it, before he could think to stop it, he felt Blaine's lips press against his—or his press against Blaine's—and he felt _fireworks_.

Blaine gasped into Kurt's mouth the moment their lips touched, pulling him even closer with the hand he held at the back of Kurt's head. There were a lot of reasons why what they were doing was wrong, but when Kurt slid his hand inside Blaine's t-shirt and pressed shaky fingers into Blaine's warm skin, nothing felt wrong and everything felt right—the way their lips caressed each other was right, the way he could feel Kurt's heart beat like crazy against his chest was right; the things Kurt made him feel just by being in his arms was so, so right.

Blaine dragged his hand down to Kurt's waist, running his fingers up and down along the length of his back as they kissed, not pushing or more, just keeping them pressed against each other, and even that was enough to make Blaine feel like there was champagne in his veins rather than blood.

Kurt pulled back just as slowly as he'd moved into the kiss, keeping his body right where it was, pressed so firmly against Blaine's. He dragged his top lip along Blaine's bottom lip before pulling back completely and waited for Blaine to open his eyes. If the way his lips were tingling was any indication, Kurt knew he would be feeling that kiss for days. The second Blaine let his eyes flutter open and look at Kurt—almost as if he was mesmerized by the very sight of him—made Kurt want to dive right back in for seconds. But he didn't; he just looked back at him and rubbed his hand against the smooth skin of Blaine's back. He knew he had to go back to his room, but right now all he wanted was to be selfish for a few moments longer.

Blaine wanted to protest the absence of Kurt's lips against his, wanted to claim them again and again, but at some level he knew even what he'd just had wasn't his to take in the first place. He dropped his head to Kurt's shoulder because Kurt's eyes on him were making him want to do stupid things—things like pick him up and take him to his bed. He moved from Kurt's shoulder and buried his face in the crook of his neck, as Kurt continued dragging his fingers along Blaine's back, sending shivers down his spine. It was weird. He'd only had one beer, and he was feeling drunk out of his mind.

"You drive me _crazy_," he whispered into Kurt's neck, his lips brushing against Kurt's skin, the ache of wanting Kurt nearly overwhelming him . "_God_, Kurt, you have no idea."

Kurt relished Blaine's open mouth kisses along his neck as he buried his face in Blaine's hair, smelling a mix of raspberry and vanilla. Kurt wanted nothing more than to bury his hands in the mass of curls and pull Blaine back to his lips, ready to suck the breath right out of those gorgeous lips, but he had responsibilities he needed to take care of—responsibilities that were waiting for him in his bedroom. He spoke into Blaine's neck softly, still holding on with everything he had.

"I don't want to go."

"Then don't," was at the tip of Blaine's tongue, but he managed to keep himself from blurting out things he had no right to say. Even the idea of Kurt going back to the bed that he was sharing with someone else was making his heart drop to his stomach, but there was literally nothing he could say to make Kurt stay—or was there? Blaine knew they were walking a thin line, and not just on his part.

He pulled his head back slowly, placing one last lingering kiss on that spot right behind Kurt's ear. His whole body was screaming at him in protest as he untangled himself from Kurt's embrace, unable to look him in the eye as he took a step back.

"You uh… You should."

Kurt stood rooted in place for a moment longer, his body not allowing him to leave. It hurt too badly. And that was a big realization for Kurt. The idea of going into the next room by himself—not having Blaine for his own—physically hurt, but the idea of his boyfriend leaving in the morning didn't. And that wasn't right; none of this was probably right, but that was something he could—and would—fix. Kurt walked back through the door, forcing himself not to look back, he couldn't. Not yet.

Blaine sank down to the floor as soon as Kurt closed the door behind him, letting out a silent "Fuck," as he covered his face with his hands. He wished he was living in a world where it would be okay to ask Kurt to come to bed with him and crawl under the covers and just hold him in his arms—just because he _needed_ him there, needed to feel the warmth and the reassuring weight of his body around him, beneath him, falling asleep listening to Kurt's heartbeat, steady and constant. It would have been enough. But as Blaine raised his head and saw the picture of him and Jamie on a karaoke stage, stupid grins on their faces as they posed shoulder to shoulder, he was reminded him of exactly how much he wasn't living in that world.

And that just sucked big time, didn't it.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

**(AN: Ahhh that anticipation! This was probably our favorite chapter to write thus far so we hope you enjoy it! ;) Thanks as always to our beta for making the chapter even better and all of you for making us so excited to continue to write this story!**

**Side note the song we reference in here is Hozier's cover of The Arctic Monkey's song "Do I Wanna Know.")**

"I don't just want to take your breath away. I want to rip it from your mouth and keep it locked away between my teeth. You can only have it back if you kiss me again."

- Meggie Royer, _Literary Sexts Volume I_

Kurt was exhausted. He didn't realize how much until he got in the car with Adam and started driving to the airport. He hadn't slept at all the night before, fighting the whole night with his eyes not knowing what to do. If they closed Kurt would dream about that kiss, what if felt to have Blaine's arms wrapped around him, and if they stayed opened an immense sense of guilt would wash over him with Adam's arm wrapped so tightly around him as he slept. He knew he had to end it. He probably should end it with both Adam and end whatever was going on with Blaine, but he wasn't quite ready to end things with Blaine; besides, how could he end things when he didn't even know what the 'things' were between them?

Kurt wasn't even sure if anything _would _happen a part from their longing looks and the occasional times when they ran out of will power, but Kurt desperately wanted to find out. One thing was clear in his mind—he was ready to end it with Adam. Kurt wasn't sure if it was just that he was making himself feel better or if it really was true, but it felt like Adam had one foot out the door as well. The thought of saying goodbye to Adam made Kurt sad, and he knew it wouldn't be easy. It wasn't so long ago that Adam had been his whole world, and now, without either of them really noticing, they had grown apart. He didn't mean for it to happen, and the last thing he wanted to do was hurt Adam, but Kurt feared if they stayed together that was exactly what he would end up doing.

There was a weird vibe that entire morning as they got ready and Kurt watched Adam pack up his things. They moved around each other in silence, barely speaking in complete sentences, never really making eye contact. At first Kurt thought it was because Adam somehow must have seen what happened in Blaine's room the night before, but as the morning progressed, it almost felt like they were both just going through the motions of being sad that Adam was leaving because that was how they thought they were supposed to feel.

The car ride to the airport was more of the same, with awkward silences that Kurt tried to fill by reminiscing about their high school days, but that just made the atmosphere in car more depressing. Kurt pulled into the departures area of the airport and placed his car in park. He looked at Adam, heart dropping in his chest at the way Adam looked at him almost as if he was expecting what was coming next. Kurt took Adam's hand in his, letting out a shaky breath before he spoke.

"A-Adam. I really did love spending time with you this weekend. I had missed you like crazy. But… it just felt like… like something was missing, y' know?"

Adam held Kurt's gaze for a while before saying anything, using his last chance to look at him completely, look him in the eyes, and think things through before acknowledging what Kurt was asking.

"Yeah, maybe it was you…that was missing..." He shook his head as soon as the words left his mouth, squeezing Kurt's hand slightly.

"No, that's not fair," he continued before Kurt could respond, "I know what you're saying but I just... I don't know, Kurt. This is really it? I still love you. I really do, but uh..."

He didn't add "maybe not the way I used to" and from the understanding look on Kurt's face, it was obvious it wasn't necessary.

Kurt leaned forward and kissed Adam's cheek and held his hand even more tightly.

"I didn't mean for this to happen. I will always care about you, Adam. I just... I think we grew up, grew out of each other. It's no one's fault. I-I'm sorry."

Kurt couldn't...wouldn't…regret what had happened between him and Blaine; however, he knew there was no point in telling Adam all the things he was actually sorry for; this was already painful enough. Nonetheless, he still wanted him to know he felt bad about this, about everything.

Adam sighed and nodded shortly; there was no use fighting for something that was obviously beyond repair. Besides, if he had to be honest with himself, since Kurt left for school and he stayed behind, he'd been acting like someone even _he_ had difficulty recognizing, and that wasn't how being in a relationship should have make him feel. Adam didn't tell him that a piece of him would always…not just care, but love Kurt because…well, what was the point of saying something like that? that screw caring about; he'd always love him no matter what because what was the point? The whole thing was hard enough as it was.

He brought Kurt's hand, which was still tightly holding his, to his lips and placed a soft kiss on the knuckles, keeping his eyes on Kurt.

"Thanks for having me. I had a good time… I'm happy you're happy here."

He let Kurt's hand go and unbuckled his seatbelt, looking over at him one last time before he got out.

"We can try… uh, you know staying friends." His mouth twisted in a small, wry smile as he continued, "Obviously not now because I have tons of ice cream to eat and movies to watch, but maybe when you're visiting in the summer? I'd be very sorry if you weren't in my life at all anymore."

Kurt nodded, smiling a sad smile at Adam, a lump forming in his throat as Adam got his bags from the back seat. Adam represented pretty much his entire life back in Chicago, and this was a huge part of that life he was saying goodbye to. It was a good thing in the long run, but still hard to watch him go. Kurt noticed Adam's boarding pass resting on the dash and got out and walked to the sidewalk where Adam was waiting to check his bags. Kurt held out the boarding pass to him; then, somewhat awkwardly at first, and then with true emotion as they realized this was really goodbye, they indulged themselves in one final hug.

"I'm not giving up on these hugs completely. Get home safe. Bye, Adam."

Adam smiled at an air-kiss Kurt sent his way, waving his hand and walking backwards as he kept his gaze on Kurt until, finally turning to go into the terminal, he quietly whispered…

"Bye, Kurt."

xxx

As Kurt pulled onto the highway he let out a sigh of relief—not because he was happy about the breakup, which was probably one of the toughest things he'd ever done—but because there were suddenly all these possibilities that weren't even options before. He'd spent the last month and probably, on some level, ever since he moved here, pushing away the feelings he had begun having for Blaine, pretending they didn't exist, hating himself for even thinking of Blaine in that way. But now... Now maybe it could be different; maybe they could at least talk about what going on instead of ignoring it.

Kurt drove a little faster, gripping the steering wheel a little tighter as he neared their house. He didn't know how Blaine felt, not really. He knew there was _something_ there; he could feel that, but beyond that he had no idea. He was anxious to find out, and now that Adam was out of the picture, it seemed at least the topic wasn't off limits. He knew Adam hadn't been the only thing standing between them—_was_ there a 'them'? Pulling into their driveway, he was so ready to find out.

Blaine thought about going upstairs once he heard Kurt's car in their driveway, but avoiding the elephant in the room and running away from the things that shouldn't have existed in the first place sure wasn't going to get them anywhere. It wasn't going to be pretty, but Blaine needed to be the adult. He needed to tell Kurt he didn't know what had been going on with them lately, but they needed to put a stop to it—whatever _it_ was—and try to forget anything had happened. Not that Blaine was actually going to be able to forget, himself, but… Well as long as he made it clear to Kurt that he was really serious, it was going to be fine.

He filled two mugs with fresh coffee and brought them to the coffee table in the living room, taking a sip of his as he heard the doorknob turn.

Kurt walked into the house quickly, with every intention of going upstairs to find Blaine first thing. He wanted to tell him he and Adam had officially broken up—and let him know that he could still feel last night's kiss on his lips and ask him if he could too. He was so wrapped up in planning what he was going to say that he almost missed Blaine sitting on the couch, like he was waiting for Kurt the whole time. As their eyes met, Kurt's heart started racing and he froze mid-step, momentarily forgetting everything he had planned to say.

"H-hey. I um… Is that coffee… for me?"

Blaine gave Kurt a look as if to say _what do you think?_ and patted the space next to him on the couch. He tried not to look at Kurt's face because every time he risked a glance, his eyes were drawn to the lips he'd had against his the previous night—and that wasn't doing a thing for his plan to keep his cool.

"Unless you see another person here that I don't, then yes."

Kurt raised an eyebrow at Blaine's slightly sarcastic comment, trying to catch his eyes to pick up on his mood, but Blaine was obviously working to avoid eye contact. Maybe he was nervous, too; maybe he had the same idea Kurt had, which made the nervous butterflies in his stomach stir. Kurt sat next to Blaine leaving only a small space between them—only to have Blaine move and increase the distance.

"Well, thanks. I didn't get a chance to have any before I took Adam to the airport."

Kurt caught Blaine's eyes when he finally looked at him, but he immediately looked away at the mention of Adam. Kurt couldn't help the small smile that formed on his lips—not because of the still fresh breakup, but because he hoped he was about to make Blaine a little happier, or at least more at ease.

"Speaking of Adam... We um... I broke up with him. When I dropped him off. It's over."

Blaine's head snapped up at Kurt's words, his eyes widening in surprise. It took him off guard, and he hated that his first instinct was to smile. He took a long, slow sip of his coffee to camouflage the twitch of his lips and just so he had something to do other than gape at Kurt's face like an idiot. It didn't have to change the way Blaine had planned their talk to go, but he kind of had to kick-start his brain to get it back on track. He swallowed thickly, eyes on his fingers around his mug as he spoke.

"Why?"

Kurt had expected a different reaction from Blaine. A smile maybe, a sigh of relief, a confirmation that he'd done the right thing—some fucking eye contact for god's sake—but no. Blaine's question came off like he was almost angry at this news, like he hadn't spent the weekend giving Adam backhanded compliments or ignoring him completely, and Kurt couldn't help but get a little defensive.

"Why? Because it was time. Because this weekend confirmed to me what I've known for a while—we'd grown apart and there was no sense in dragging it out anymore. And especially after—"

Kurt stopped mid-sentence when Blaine's head snapped up, finally looking him in the eyes. But it wasn't like normal—it was like he was almost looking past him—and his face didn't soften like it normally did; his mouth stayed in a hard line as if he was figuring out what to say next while at the same time giving Kurt a clear message to stop talking.

Blaine shook his head at himself, angry with Kurt for thinking it was that easy and angry with himself because he was to blame for making Kurt believe it actually was. What did he expect? Kurt was really a _kid_. He had the luxury of acting without thinking, doing whatever the fuck he felt like. But Blaine should have known better, should have been the one to put an end to those not-so-innocent touches, lingering looks, and private smiles as soon as he realized where it was going. God, Jamie _trusted_ him! Jamie trusted him with the most important thing in his life, and what did Blaine do in return?

Blaine rose from the couch with that thought in mind, as if he couldn't get away from Kurt fast enough, running his fingers through his hair, unable to stay still as he hovered over Kurt, still sitting on the couch.

"Especially after _nothing_!" Blaine blurted out, punctuating "nothing" as he kept his gaze on Kurt, trying not to feel like the shittiest person in the world at the hurt that flashed across Kurt's face.

"I-I think you made a hasty decision. Maybe you should think more with a clear head or something."

The way Blaine accentuated the word "nothing" as if he needed to make that point especially clear, the way his voice was firm and harsh felt like a punch straight to Kurt's heart. That kiss meant something; it felt like _everything_ when it happened. At least Kurt thought it had.

"I didn't fucking make that decision lightly, Blaine. It's been over for months; I just got the balls to make it official."

Kurt ran his fingers through his hair, wanting to pull it out as he could feel the frustration building inside of him.

"And how dare you tell me my decision was _hasty_? _You_ were the one who told me that story about you and your ex—told me there was nothing worse than not telling the other person when your feelings changed."

Blaine winced internally at the vehemence of Kurt's voice and the way he wasn't letting it go—and he hadn't expected him to, if he had to be honest. That was one of the first things he grew to like about Kurt—that he would never back down without a fight. But he schooled his features into a blank expression and stared down at Kurt as if it didn't kill him inside to see those eyes looking back at him with so much disappointment.

"It isn't the same thing," he tried weakly, opting to ignore the part about them being alone together. "You're still so young. You think you know what you want, but you don't really."

Kurt stood up, shaking his head and clenching his fists at his sides. He thought he was good at reading people, thought he and Blaine were on the same page, but as it seemed they couldn't be farther apart. Kurt was aware he was raising his voice; he could feel the heat in his cheeks radiate through his whole body.

"And you think you know better than me? You think you know what I want? Obviously you don't have a fucking clue!"

He moved closer, waited for Blaine to look at him. He almost thought he saw a hurt look that momentarily seemed to surface on Blaine's face and immediately decided he didn't have the right to look hurt right now—if it had been there at all. Blaine quickly schooled his features into a stern expression, and Kurt spoke as calmly as he could, although he could hear his voice shake.

Stepping even closer to him, Kurt said as steadily and emphatically as he could, "I'm not the one acting like a fucking child, Blaine. That's you." He raised his hand to point directly at Blaine.

Blaine grabbed Kurt's wrist and pulled it down, tightening his grip when Kurt tried to pull it back. He felt like he'd been riding a roller coaster of emotions ever since he woke up, starting with guilt and then regret, longing, and now anger.

Whatever it was Blaine ended up feeling, he was always feeling it too much with Kurt—and that was the problem, wasn't it?

"You think cursing in every sentence will make you a grown-up? It won't. You still have a long _fucking_ way to go!" he spat out, anger suddenly surging through his body, blocking any rational thought from his mind.

"And why do you even think I'd care about what you want?" he continued.

Kurt looked at Blaine dumbfounded, baffled that Blaine was even asking him that question. Had Blaine forgotten that he was there the night Kurt watched him all but screw another guy without taking one eye off of Kurt, and didn't he remember the night before when they couldn't resist touching each other even if it was just fingertips. And didn't he remember what happened in Blaine's bedroom when… Kurt shook his head angrily.

"Because we KISSED!"

Kurt didn't mean to yell it, but he was livid because Blaine was making him feel like this was some childish fantasy he was living in. It was _real_…wasn't it? Had Kurt really made it up in his head?

Kurt ripped his wrist from Blaine's hold, furious that he was even making him _question_ it—question something he _knew_.

Blaine blinked very slowly, feeling like he'd hit a brick wall upon hearing Kurt's words, putting it out there so there was nowhere to escape, no way to avoid.

He clenched his fist when Kurt freed his wrist from his tight grip and stared past Kurt's face and over his shoulder, but seeing nothing, unable to meet his eyes as he spoke.

"…Which was a mistake."

Kurt took a step back and let out the angry breath he'd been holding. At the word "mistake," it felt as his heart fell hard to the floor. Kurt would have called that kiss a lot of things, but a _mistake_ wouldn't be one of them. Something that felt as right that kiss had felt to Kurt was _not_ a mistake. He could feel his throat tighten, and he looked at the floor to gain his composure. He wasn't going to let Blaine see him cry; he didn't deserve to see what effect he had on Kurt. He slowly raised his head and looked Blaine straight in the eyes and spoke as clearly as he could, punctuating each word.

"Fuck. You."

With that Kurt turned and walked quickly to the stairs, taking them two at a time to his room, slamming the door behind him. He got to the middle of the room before he stopped, breathing more heavily than he normally would just from hurrying up the stairs, the argument finally catching up to him, causing his breath to catch. He could feel the tears starting to sting, clouding his vision. How did things get so screwed up?

Blaine regretted his words almost before they left his lips, and the look on Kurt's face—so sad and disappointed—as if Blaine had literally broken his heart by calling the kiss a mistake. He knew how Kurt felt because those two words from Kurt, uttered with such pain and anger and feeling, felt like a physical blow to Blaine, causing his breath hitch painfully in his chest.

How could he let everything get so out of his control? How could he think he could get away with being a tease and leading Kurt on like that and not expect it to come and bite him in the ass in return? Everything was a fucking mess, but all Blaine cared about at that moment was the look Kurt gave him before running to his room—and how he could make it right again because Blaine didn't think he could breathe when he knew Kurt was sad because of him.

He made his way back into the kitchen and opened the liquor cabinet with shaky fingers, taking long, generous sips straight out of the vodka bottle before putting it back. It wasn't what he needed. He eyed the cupboard where he knew half of his marijuana stash was, but knew he didn't need to get high and be fucking okay about everything for a little while and then have it all come crashing down on him later. What he needed was upstairs, probably hating him with a passion, which was something Blaine felt he actually deserved. And Blaine knew, well, Blaine wasn't okay with any of it.

His hands were still shaky when he made it upstairs, standing in front of Kurt's room, his phone in one hand and knocking on the door a couple times with the other. He didn't wait for Kurt to tell him to come in because then he might have to wait forever; he turned the doorknob, letting himself in. His eyes immediately landed on Kurt's lean figure on the bed, which had been hunched over, but was now sitting up rigidly as he looked over at Blaine with red, puffy and still angry eyes, and fuck, Blaine was really an asshole, wasn't he? It should be a crime to make someone that beautiful cry… even if he did make even crying beautiful…

He turned around without giving Kurt a chance to tell him to get the fuck out of his room, going over to his desk, and connecting his phone to Kurt's speakers before pressing play. A song playing that had been on top of his playlist, and only as the melody kicked in did Blaine realize why it had been on constant repeat since the night Kurt walked into his room.

_Have you no idea that you're in deep?_

_I dreamt about you nearly every night this week_

_How many secrets can you keep?_

Kurt's angry stare turned into something confused, and Blaine could see he was still eyeing him warily as Blaine made his way to him, standing by the bed.

"May I?" he asked as he held his hand out for Kurt, looking him right in the eyes, trying to say how sorry he was without using words because obviously his words were nothing but trouble.

Kurt didn't give his hand to Blaine right away; he took a few seconds to read Blaine's eyes, realizing this was the first time Blaine had actually really looked at him today, and not through or past him. His amber eyes were softer now, concerned and sad, but hopeful. This was not the Blaine who had dismissed him downstairs; this was the Blaine whose hand he would gladly clasp.

With a shaky hand, Kurt took Blaine's outstretched one, letting him pull him to his feet. Blaine then wrapped a hand around his waist and, interlocking their fingers, he led Kurt in a tight circle in the middle of the room as the music played softly in the background.

_(Do I wanna know)_

_If this feeling flows both ways?_

_(Sad to see you go)_

_Was sort of hoping that you'd stay_

_(Baby we both know)_

_That the nights were mainly made for saying things that you can't say tomorrow day_

Blaine continued looking into Kurt's eyes, Kurt returning his gaze. This was the only way they could communicate without barriers, without lying to each other. However, it also could be too intense, as if Kurt was seeing parts of Blaine …parts of Blaine that he didn't have the right to see. Kurt put his arms around Blaine's neck and rested his head against the side of Blaine's, relaxing in his tight hold.

This wasn't about dancing, not really—wrapping both arms around Kurt's back, one lower around his waist, the other hand splayed against the middle of Kurt's shoulder blades—they stepped in close, their chests almost touching. Blaine didn't relax until he could feel Kurt visibly ease in his arms, the lingering tension washing out of him as Kurt hooked his arms around his neck, letting Blaine hold him close. Blaine let out a quiet little sigh, tilting his head so it rested in the crook of Kurt's neck, resting his cheek against Kurt's hair. As they swayed together, the song skipped to the second verse.

_Ever thought of calling when you've had a few?_

'_Cause I always do_

_Maybe I'm too busy being yours to fall for somebody new_

_Now I've thought it through_

_Crawling back to you_

Hozier continued to sing out the confessions Blaine couldn't admit, and his heart settled into a beat that matched Kurt's, steady and constant where Blaine could feel it against his chest. Despite the many stolen glances, forbidden touches, and the—no, definitely _not_ a mistaken—kiss they shared, this was the most intimate Blaine had felt with Kurt. It was as if even the way their hearts, effortlessly beating in rhythm with each other, were telling him they were on the same page—that this was somehow meant to be.

There were so many thing that needed to be said, so many things to apologize for, but for now Blaine concentrated on how good simply _this_ felt—holding Kurt close, their movements in sync, and a shiver running through Blaine's skin as Kurt's fingers stroked along the back of his neck.

It wasn't even sexual; it was about the way Kurt made him feel, without even trying, whenever they were close. It was about the effortless connection they had together, the way they were so susceptible to each other's touches and looks, the way they always ended up wanting more, needing more. How was Blaine supposed to fight it?

"This wasn't supposed to happen, you know," Blaine whispered.

"_You_ weren't supposed to happen." Blaine whispered again, so very quietly, as if he wasn't sure he wanted Kurt to hear.

_So have you got the guts?_

_Been wandering if you're heart's still open and if so I wanna know what time it shuts_

_Simmer down and pucker up_

_I'm sorry to interrupt. It's just I'm constantly on the cusp of trying to kiss you_

_I don't know if you feel the same as I do_

_But we could be together if you wanted to_

Kurt got goose bumps at Blaine's barely there whisper, as if he was telling Kurt a secret he wasn't quite ready to fully admit. Their disagreements from earlier were now in the past as Hozier went into another hauntingly beautiful chorus, and Kurt certainly wasn't going to ruin this perfect moment with talk of fate. But that was what this all felt like, really—a big, screwed up, messy version of fate. So yeah, in the simple sense, what they were doing right now, what they did before—what Kurt _wanted_ to do—shouldn't be happening, but it was. It _was_, and Kurt felt as if it was almost an unavoidable reality.

Kurt ran his fingers through the back of Blaine's hair, like he had been wanting to forever; it felt amazing, and the tiny hum Blaine let out made him want to do it over and over. But the truth was he didn't know if he would have the chance. Whatever _this_ was, was a ticking time bomb, and it seemed like it could go off at any moment. Kurt spoke softly, his breath brushing against Blaine's ear.

"You weren't part of my plan either."

Blaine moved the hand that was on Kurt's waist, positioning it flat against his back opposite the other one, pulling Kurt against him, leaving no space between their bodies. And for that split second when Blaine moved his hand off his hip, Kurt gasped almost audibly, panicked that Blaine was pulling away.

"I wasn't supposed to need you," Kurt whispered in reply.

Upon hearing those words, Blaine wrapped his arms around Kurt even more tightly, sliding one thigh between Kurt's legs so he could pull him in closer. He couldn't make any promises, not when there were still a lot of "do not's" and "don't go there's" crossing his mind, but deep down he knew he was going to end up giving Kurt anything he wanted, regardless of how much he told himself otherwise. How could he not? Blaine couldn't remember the last time someone told him they needed him—not his class notes, his body, or a ride—but just _him_… And Blaine _liked_ it. He wasn't going to kid himself and say that the feeling wasn't mutual.

Blaine didn't answer with words; instead, he tilted his head back and nuzzled Kurt's neck, deeply inhaling his smell, his breath licking Kurt's skin as he breathed out.

Kurt felt Blaine's lips dust his neck as they swayed together, the song ending in the background, and he desperately didn't want everything to end. He wanted to hold onto Blaine like this forever. Kurt moved his hands up to Blaine's shoulders and pushed back just enough to be able to look at him—god, he was beautiful. Kurt noticed how Blaine's long eyelashes were splayed against his cheek before he slowly opened his eyes, how his olive skin was slightly flushed, how his curls stuck out in the places where Kurt had run his hands through his hair, and how his lips were slightly parted. Kurt realized he was staring at Blaine's precious lips about the same time he heard himself say…

"Kiss me."

Blaine's breath caught in his throat at Kurt's gentle demand, his eyes dropping to Kurt's lips almost automatically. In fascination, he watched Kurt bite his lower lip when he didn't answer; Blaine wanted to replace those teeth with his own so badly. His voice was no more than a whisper when he spoke, his eyes still fixed on Kurt's lips.

"You know it's not that simple."

Kurt knew it wasn't; god, he knew that! But in this moment, in the present silence of his bedroom, he also knew he'd never wanted something so badly in his entire life. He inhaled deeply, hoping it would be his last breath that wasn't shared with Blaine's. He looked into Blaine's eyes, not wavering in the slightest, although his heart was beating like crazy.

"I know."

Blaine exhaled loudly, feeling as if he'd just lost the last ounce of his willpower when Kurt looked at him with such longing—and something so heavy and intimate in his gaze that it took Blaine's breath away. There was no way Blaine could say no to anything Kurt wanted from him and actually mean it; he was already in far, far too deep.

He had to lean up on his toes to finally press his lips against Kurt's, swallowing the tiny gasp that escaped Kurt's lips when their lips finally touched. He brought the hand that was wrapped around Kurt's back up to cup Kurt's jaw, pulling him down to his height as he pressed in more firmly against his mouth.

It was overwhelming and addicting and nothing like the kiss they'd shared the previous night. It was as if they both let all their reservations go for just one moment, deciding to take without hesitation whatever the other was willing to give—and then give back even more in return. Blaine parted his lips and brought his other hand up to cradle Kurt's face between his palms, his tongue darting out to trace the line of Kurt's lips until he was granted access. _Nothing_ had ever felt this _right_.

Kurt dropped his hands to Blaine's waist as he was pulled into the kiss, moving them up the muscles and ligaments of his back, his movements pushing Blaine's shirt up and his hands pressing hard into the curves of his back, as if to hold Blaine securely in place—their lips solidly and softly together where they belonged. The way Blaine almost frantically grabbed his face with both hands, but so gently brushed his fingers behind his ears seemed to be the most passionate moment of Kurt's entire life.

The crazy butterflies darting within Kurt's stomach made him feel as if he could literally fly out of the room; it was only Blaine holding onto him so tightly that prevented it. As Blaine dragged his tongue long and slow against Kurt's, just before their lips began to part, it was as if a fire was lit deep inside Kurt, and he surged forward, kissing Blaine desperately. He gripped tightly to the thin fabric of Blaine's t-shirt and let out a moan as Blaine matched the intensity—as if Blaine needed this just as badly—just as fiercely—as Kurt did.

Kurt had _never_ been kissed like this, as if Blaine literally needed Kurt to breathe—and at the same time it felt as if Blaine was breathing life into Kurt. He felt Blaine pull back, or maybe he was just switching positions—it didn't matter—either way Kurt wasn't ready for it to end. Kurt moved his hands to Blaine's face, breaking Blaine's hold and shaking his head 'no' as he pressed his mouth hard against Blaine's, parting his lips and asking for, demanding, more.

Blaine was almost tempted to smile at Kurt's eagerness—almost—but he was busy being consumed by the hottest, most sensual and most intimate, kiss of his life. The way Kurt responded to him—the noises spilling from Kurt's lips, desperate and needy—the way their tongues met over and over again, in and out of their mouths—it was all too much—and not enough—all at this very same moment in time

Blaine moved his hand down, sliding it inside Kurt's t-shirt, dragging his fingers up and down his back as he continued kissing this amazing boy, hot and claiming. He licked into Kurt's mouth, and bit his lips, and fucked his tongue inside until Kurt was whimpering—the sounds he was making turning into a symphony of want. It was killing Blaine how much more he wanted, needed from this boy—_not_ _boy_—_man_.

Kurt started to feel light-headed about the same moment Blaine was sucking on his tongue and making the hottest noises he had ever heard in his life. He couldn't tell if it was because he was having the kind of kiss that inspire poems and songs, or if it was actually because of the lack of oxygen to his brain. Kurt decided he didn't really care—if he were to suffocate to death, what a way to go. He knew they needed to stop and take a break because of the way things were going—he was about to pull Blaine to his bed with his teeth, and things already weren't simple.

Kurt _tried_ to make his kisses less urgent; he _tried_ to pull back slowly. He failed three times before their kisses faded into something a little less frenetic and a little more sweet. Eventually Kurt was able to open his eyes and focus on Blaine's face, eyes now dark and full of passion, lips looking so used and red; the sight was almost too much to take, almost too beautiful. Kurt rested his forehead against Blaine's, breathing heavily.

"You take my breath away."

Blaine smiled a sweet smile and leaned in to peck Kurt's lips one more time, but he was having difficulty pulling back because he was already addicted to the way Kurt's lips tasted. He curled an arm around Kurt's waist, fingers still inside Kurt's t-shirt, pressing into his warm skin. He just looked at Kurt's face because he'd never let himself look his fill before; he'd always been afraid of getting caught, always yearning for the sight of him.

"What am I going to do with you?" Blaine sighed. His voice was fond, awed even, as if he couldn't actually believe he was able to touch Kurt like this and look at him all he wanted, without masking it with something else.

Kurt smiled coyly and moved a couple of curls behind Blaine's ear. "You're an asshole, you know that?" he murmured.

Kurt didn't hide his smile; he just continued to play with the curls that framed Blaine's face. He reveled in the texture, the sensation as, for once, he didn't have to imagine how his thick mass of curls felt between his fingers.

Blaine bit his lip into a smirk and grabbed Kurt's wrists, the smirk widening to a grin as Kurt whined at losing touch with Blaine's hair as he was backed up to the wall. Blaine enjoyed the way Kurt's cheeks got darker, perhaps from the heat of their bodies or perhaps from the way Blaine was looking at him as he pinned Kurt's wrists up above his head. He leaned forward, tightening his grip around Kurt's wrists when he tried to free them, and with much deliberation first placed several kisses at different points on Kurt's throat and then, tilting his head slightly, he took Kurt's earlobe between his teeth.

"Yeah, but I'll be your asshole if you have me," he whispered into Kurt's ear as he closed his lips around the soft shell of his ear.

Kurt gasped as Blaine sucked and bit at his ear and neck, arching his back off from the wall just to be pressed back again by Blaine's body. He struggled—but not too much—to free his wrists from Blaine's grip.

"Mmm... _Mine_. I like the sound of that….but it's not that simple, is it?"

Blaine's smile froze on his lips as he absorbed Kurt's words. He let go of Kurt's wrists as if only now realizing what he was doing; he took a step back, shaking his head as he looked down at the floor. Kurt…Kurt made him lose his mind…literally.

"No. Fuck. It really isn't."

Kurt found himself closing the distance Blaine had just created, regretting his words, not wanting Blaine to retreat and leave again. Kurt couldn't take it—not again—not ever. He grabbed Blaine's chin and tilted his head up so he could look at him, a worried look in his eyes.

"Hey, no… please don't…"

…Leave, act like this didn't happen, beat yourself up… Kurt didn't know which 'don't' he wanted to say aloud; so he didn't say any of them. Instead he sighed as he tried not to let his panic show through in his eyes.

"Just look at me, B… I know this is complicated; believe me I know. But we don't know what _this_ is yet; god knows _I_ can't explain it. So why worry about anything until we know?"

Kurt kept his hand on Blaine's chin, forcing him to look him in the eyes, hoping with everything that he had this wouldn't be over with just one amazing kiss—again.

Blaine looked back at Kurt and let out an exhausted sigh, not knowing what to say, how much to say.

"You know why," he started, and then paused.

He didn't know why neither of them had said Jamie's name out loud before. Maybe they were afraid what they were doing would be too real once they did, or maybe they were just trying to pretend he wasn't a big part of their problem, but he was still there, always in Blaine's mind.

"Jamie's coming to visit next month, and Bas is basically living with us on school days, and Quinn asks about you even before saying hello when she sees me. And you're … god, you're so _young_, Kurt! And it sucks because I just can't help but want you—which is so fucked up, and I- I..."

Kurt knew that most of Blaine's adorable ramblings were valid points—some even seemed almost insurmountable obstacles—but right now, at that very moment, he didn't give a shit about any of that, and he didn't want Blaine to, either. So Kurt closed the space between them, quickly grabbing the back of Blaine's head, and kissed the words right out of his mouth. God, it felt good to be able to do that, and he wasn't giving up on this new privilege that easily. After he was confident that he'd made his point to Blaine, he pulled back with a determined smile, keeping his hand tangled in Blaine's hair.

"Bas, Quinn and whoever else doesn't need to know about our business."

Kurt's eyes got a little darker as he walked Blaine back against the wall he'd been pressed against moments earlier.

"It can be our little secret. It can just be ours."

Kurt let his fingers trace Blaine's bottom lip as he bit down on his own.

"As for my age... Well, that just means there's a lot you can teach me."

Kurt smiled a crooked smile when Blaine took a sharp intake of breath as his fingers caressed his lips. Kurt leaned in and pressed feather kisses behind Blaine's ear and huskily whispered…

"And Jamie doesn't come for a month. Give us a month, Blaine."

Kurt paused between kisses to watch for Blaine's response, hoping that for once he would just give in.

Blaine opened eyes that he hadn't realized he'd closed while Kurt was peppering his neck with kisses. He licked his lips when he saw the look on Kurt's face—something fierce and determined and bold and so, _so_ sexy. He knew Kurt didn't realize what he was asking from him, and he didn't know how much Blaine could have asked in return, how much he already wanted. God, he could just ruin this fucking gorgeous boy in so many beautiful ways and he was sure Kurt didn't even know the half of it.

"Okay," he said finally, after gazing at Kurt's face for a while, drinking in the sight of his kiss swollen lips, flushed cheeks, and tousled hair sticking up in every direction. Blaine had never seen anything so halfway ruined but still otherworldly in his life.

"It's ours."


End file.
